The One That Got Away
by palomagirl
Summary: 13 years after Claire Young moved away from La Push, she's starting her junior year at a boarding school in Oregon, and she meets a girl named Jennifer Lahote. Jennifer, the daughter of Paul and Rachel, realizes just who Claire is, and decides to show her just what that longing feeling in her heart it.
1. Chapter 1

_Beep! Beep! Beep! Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep! _And that would be my alarm clock. I'm a very deep sleeper, so my mom bought me an alarm clock that, if you didn't turn it off after a few minutes, would start beeping faster. I usually woke up because I thought that there was a bomb in my room. But, hey, at least I woke up.

"Finally. I thought that you'd never wake up."

That's my roommate, Reanne. Unlike me, she's a light sleeper. So my alarm clock wakes her up 99.9% of the time.

"Sorry," I said guiltily, "I was having the dream again."

"You mean The Dream?" she said, smiling, "about your old babysitter?"

"That's the one," I replied, "It was weird. I was at the beach in La Push, you know, where I grew up, and I felt someone come up behind me and put their arms around my waist. When I turned around, it was him. Quil. Then, like in every other dream, he smiled, and said 'Hi beautiful'. Then he kissed me."

"And nothing ever happened between you and him?"

"Reanne. I was 3. That's just…wrong."

"Oh yeah," she said, smiling, "I forgot. Well, get your mind off of your hot ex-babysitter, and get ready for class. We have yoga at 7:30."

Reanne and I go to Minetonga Prep, a boarding school in Oregon. The cool thing about MP is that, along with general education classes, they offer fun courses that can enrich your "mind, body, and soul" (according to their brochure, anyway.) My first year, I decided to be different and take this class called "Belly Dancing and Beyond". It was cool because I got to learn how to belly dance, but there wasn't much "beyond" to it.

This year, Reanne and I are taking yoga in the morning, followed by some general education courses. Starting your junior year, you can take special English classes. For the first two years, you take English 101, and then 102. But this year, I'm taking a class that specializes in reading plays. Then I have geometry, followed by a nature photography course, a rhythmic gymnastics class, and a course on musicals. Yes, I get to watch musicals for homework. It's fun, but some of the musicals are a little outdated.

Yes, I'm a theater geek. I took drama in high school, and loved it. I love theater, musicals, and anything Hollywood. Especially old Hollywood, like Audrey Hepburn. Along with that, I enjoy comic books, superheroes, horror movies, and pirates. I'm an odd girl, I know.

I finally get out of bed, and while Reanne takes a shower, I do my hair, which is black and reaches my lower back. Since I have yoga first, I put it in a pony tail. I put on sweatpants and my "I can't, I have rehearsal" tank top. By the time I finish getting ready, and have all of my school stuff in my bag, Reanne is out of the shower, and ready to go.

That evening, after I finish my homework, I check my email to see if there's anything from my "little sister" Jennifer. Reanne and I signed up to be "big sisters" at MP this year. Basically, as a big sister, you are assigned an incoming freshman. Jennifer didn't start until the Winter quarter, and she and I have been emailing in the meantime. She lived in Washington with her parents, and enjoys drawing and singing. The winter quarter started a few days ago, and I still haven't met up with her. When I open my inbox, I see that I have a new message from her.

"Hey Claire, sorry that I haven't been able to meet up with you yet. Classes have been crazy hectic, and I'm still getting used to living away from home. I'm actually free tonight, so I was wondering if you wanted to have coffee after dinner? Or, if you don't drink coffee, we can just meet up and talk. Love, your little sister."

I replied, telling her that I would love to meet up. There aren't any time quotas to fill up as a big sister, but I do want to make her comfortable, and help her out.

At 7, I walked from Foxglove Hall (where I stay) to the school's coffee shop, which is three buildings over from Foxglove. I entered the coffee shop and immediately saw Jennifer sitting at a table near the back of the café. She saw me come in, and her face lit up. She waved me over, and before I could get halfway there, she had jumped up and was running towards me.

"Claire!" she exclaimed, hugging me.

"Hi Jennifer," I replied, laughing, "How's my favorite little sister?" She laughed.

"I'm good, just trying to get used to being away from home. It's weird. When I left to go meet you, I realized that I didn't have to okay it with my mom or dad first."

"Yeah, that definitely takes some getting used to," I said, "Should we sit down? Have you ordered anything?"

"No," she replied, smiling, "I didn't know what to get."

"Ahh, well that is my specialty. I'll be right back." I left to go get our coffee, and when I returned, Jennifer was sitting at the table, looking at her phone, and smiling. "What's going on that makes you so happy?" I asked.

"Oh, it's just my mom," she said, "She's freaking out, because I haven't been away from home for longer than a few days before, and now it's going to be a good month before she sees me."

"So you and your mom are close?"

"Yeah, actually I'm close with both of my parents. I live in this little town in Washington, well actually it's an Indian Reservation. But anyways, there's this group of families there that are really close, so as a child, I don't have just my parents, I have about 10 other sets of parents too."

"Aww, that sounds awesome!" I replied, "If you don't mind me asking, what reservation are you from?"

"Oh, the Quileute Reservation. It's in this town named La Push, you probably haven't heard of it, most people haven't."

"Shut up!" I replied, "I lived there until I was about 4!"

"No way! What's your last name again?"

"Young," I replied, "Claire Young." Her mouth dropped open in shock.

"You…you…you're Claire? Like, THE Claire?!"

"Umm…well, I'm Claire, so I guess so?"

"No, like, ugh how do I word this? Did you know a guy named Quil?"

"Yeah, he was my babysitter. But my mom took me away when I turned four, and I haven't seen him since. It's weird though, it's like there's this part of me that won't let me forget him. I mean, he was just my babysitter, right?" Jennifer looks completely shocked. I wave my hand in front of her face, wondering if she's okay. "Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine," she stammered, "I need to go though. It was awesome to meet up with you, umm, keep in touch. Here's my cell number," she hands me a piece of paper, "text me when you want to hang out. Bye!"

With that, she was gone. _What the hell just happened? I wondered. That was weird. Deciding that I should probably get some sleep, I took my coffee and went back to Foxglove Hall._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello, beautiful readers :) I forgot to put an A/N before chapter 1, so I apologize for that. Anyways, hello, hi, how are you? (Finding Nemo quote FTW) So, I know that I promised a sequel to Friendzoned (for those of you that haven't read it, you should) and it didn't happen. I started working on the first chapter and it flopped. Also, I moved out, and I'm going to college. So updates for this are going to be random, but I will try to update once a week. I have up to chapter 6 done now, but when I do publish chapter 6, you're going to get two chapters in one day, because 6 is short. You will see why once you get there. Anyways, enjoy The One That Got Away, my newest fanfic. **

**Reviews are beautiful unicorns that eat sprinkled cupcakes. So review. And DM me because you can. Give me something to smile about :)**

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"GIRL, WHERE ARE YOU? IT'S 9 PM, I GOT MY SEXY ON. LET'S GO!" yelled Reanne.

"Reanne. Shh. You're going to wake up the RA or something," I said.

"Claire. Stop being such a stick in the mud. WE ARE GOING OUT and someone is getting LAID!"

"REANNE!" I said, embarrassed now, because she was not being quiet. "You know that if Vanessa (the RN) wakes up and comes in here, we aren't going anywhere." This seems to quiet her down a little, because she doesn't say anything embarrassing until we leave. Yes, I know, I seem like a good girl. And I am. But I enjoy dancing, and yes, partying. Reanne knows a lot of people, and can usually get us into awesome parties. Like tonight, for instance.

"Claaaaaire, let's go! By the time we get there, everyone's going to be wasted and it's going to be boring."

"Reanne, I am waiting for Jennifer. You know that I invited her, and as soon as she's here, we can go." After we went out for coffee, I sent Jennifer a text saying that I had a great time. She replied, saying she did too, and apologizing for her behavior. When Reanne told me about the party, I immediately asked Jennifer if she wanted to go. She said yes, and had met with Reanne and I a few times during the week to plan our outfits accordingly.

Reanne had decided on a black miniskirt, and a loosely fitted zebra-striped tank top. Pair that with a black leather jacket, heels, and Reanne's dark skin and black hair, and there was a good chance that Reanne would walk away with a guy tonight.

I chose a dark red mini dress, black pumps, and a black cropped jacket. I left my hair down, and did normal makeup, but instead of normal black eyeliner, I used gold on my upper lids.

When Jennifer showed up, she was wearing a black lace dress, with black heeled boots. She curled her hair, and had dark red lipstick on.

When we got to the party, it was in full swing. The guy that was throwing the party had a huge house, which was probably his parents. There was food everywhere in the kitchen, a table full of booze in the living room, and people everywhere. I heard music coming from the back yard, and saw that there was a DJ on the deck, and a mob of people dancing nearby. There were people dancing drunkenly in the living room, along with people making out like the world was ending.

Reanne immediately went to the booze table, grabbing a beer. Jennifer looked lost, and I decided that I should probably help her out. "Party tip #1: Never take the punch," I told her, smiling, "Because someone has definitely spiked it with who knows what. The last person that drank it ended up in Cancun." Her eyes widened. "I'm kidding. But seriously. Don't drink the punch. If you want to drink, take beer or some fruity drink. The fruity ones have less alcohol." She nodded, and followed me to the table. I'm the DD for the night, so I chose a soda. Jennifer grabbed a Smirnoff Ice. "Good choice," I told her, smiling.

By that time, we had lost Reanne. Jennifer and I walked out onto the back deck, and tried to see if we could find her in the crowd. When we couldn't find her, I decided that if you can't beat them (or, find them) join them. I grabbed Jennifer and dragged her down to the dance floor. The DJ played "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" by Usher, and I let my body take control. We danced for awhile, until the DJ took a break. Jennifer and I made our way back to the house, until I felt someone grab my hand.

"Hey beautiful. Where do you think you're going?" I looked up and into the two beautiful brown eyes of this complete stranger. I could smell the alcohol on his breath, and while I thought he was cute, there was no way that I was going to go for him. One, I had no feelings for this guy, and two, he was so wasted, he wouldn't remember anything in the morning.

"I'm going inside with my friend," I answered.

"Well, maybe you should stay out here with me," he countered, "I don't want a pretty one like you getting away." He grabbed my arm, and got really close to me.

"Okay, asshole," I said, "let go of me or you're going to regret it." I gave him ten seconds, and when he still didn't let go, I stomped on his foot. He let go of my arm, and yelled in pain.

"Ow! Bitch!"

"Yeah, that's what you get." With that, I turned around, and walked away. When I got inside, I noticed that Jennifer wasn't with me. I turned around to go find her, afraid that that asshole had gotten to her, when I saw her talking to Brody Westland.

Brody was a sophomore, and even I knew about him. He's extremely cute, with messy brown hair and light blue eyes. Some girls think that he's a player, but he's not. He mostly hangs out with his friends, and when he does talk to a girl, it usually ends in a relationship. He's very athletic, and has participated in national boxing competitions. Oh, he also has a really nice body.

I watch Jennifer and Brody, and notice that they're subconsciously moving closer towards each other. Before they see can see me, I turn away, looking for someone to talk to. When I glance at them again, he has his hands on her waist. I would intervene, but he's a good kid. Yeah, it's moving fast, but hey, that's high school.

"CLAAAAAAAAIRREEEEEE!"

I jump when I hear Reanne yell my name, and when I turn around, she's walking drunkenly towards me.

"Reanne…how much have you had to drink?" She throws her arms around my shoulders, hanging off of me.

"Don't be such a stick in the mud," she slurs, "I'm just having fun. Hey-where's Je-J-Jennifer?"

"Over there, talking to Brody Westland," I answered, smiling.

"Whaaaaaaat, he's like reeeeaallyy cute!" She says, laughing, "You know who else is cute? Todd."

"Reanne," I said sternly, "Don't do anything drastic with Todd. You're drunk."

"I don't care!" she yelled, "I want to do everything with him! He is HOT."

"Who is?" I hear from behind me. I turn around, and there's Todd. Well, this should get interesting fast.

"YOU ARE!" Reanne yells, and then literally throws herself at him, "We should go find a private place. Because I have to tell you something." He looks at her, kind of confused, yet hopeful. She just nods at him, and with that, they're gone.

Cool, I'm all alone now. I look over at Jennifer again, only to find her walking away, holding hands with Brody. Well, at least she's happy.

I walk out the front door, needing some fresh air. I let my mind wander, and find myself thinking about Quil. I've had the dream about him at least 50 times since I can remember. What makes it even weirder is Jennifer's reaction when I told her my last name. For the first time, I wonder why my mom left La Push. She told me it was because of her job, but I don't think that's the reason. When I was little, I spent a lot of time with Quil. I don't remember much from that time, since I was four, but I remember Quil. He was my best friend. But why is he in my dreams? Besides, he's got to be, what, almost 30 now? That's not even legal!

But still. I can't get him off of my mind. It's time to get to the bottom of this.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello, again, readers! Thank you for reviewing. I really love writing this story, I believe I finished chapter 8 today. I don't really know where I'm going with this, but that's the fun part of writing.

Heres chapter 3, and can I ask a favor? Maybe 10-12 reviews before the next update? That's only 4-6 more reviews. Enjoy :)

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The day after the party, I woke up at around 12 to Jennifer bouncing on my bed saying, "Claire. Claire! Claire! WAKE UP! Wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up!"

"Unnnhhhhggggg…." I groaned.

"What?" Jennifer asked confusedly.

"Whaaaaaa…." I managed to say.

"Claire. Wake the hell up. You weren't even drinking last night, and I'm in a better mood than you are!"

"Yeah, but you didn't have to drive two drunk girls home last night."

"Touché," Jennifer said, "But still. I need to talk to you!"

"Fine, fine, I'm awake," I said as I sat up, "What do you need to tell me?"

"So, remember that guy I was talking to last night?"

"Oh, you mean Brody?"

"Yeah, him," she said, smiling and blushing, "Well, we really hit it off."

"Yeah?" I asked, "Did he kiss you?"

"Possibly," she said mischievously.

"Ooooh!" I said excitedly, "What happened? Tell me EVERYTHING."

"Well, we talked for awhile, and just kind of got to know each other. Then we went outside, and we found this little gazebo thing. So we sat out there for awhile, just talking and stuff, and then he stopped talking and looked at me. Before I knew what was happening, he was leaning in. I freaked out for a minute, until I realized that I wanted to kiss him. And…it was perfect."

"Jennifer, that's so great. I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you. Especially for inviting me to go with you last night." Suddenly, her phone buzzed. She checked it and smiled.

"It's Brody, isn't it?" I said, smiling.

"Yeah, he wants to meet up with me and have breakfast together."

"Well, you're going, right?"

"Um, I guess," she said nervously.

"Jennifer. You kissed the guy. At least go out to breakfast with him. Come on, I'll help you pick out your clothes."

An hour later, Jennifer was dressed and gone. She had left about twenty minutes before, smiling bigger than the Cheshire Cat when Brody came to pick her up. With her gone, and Reanne passed out in her bed, I decided to get some of my homework done. I found my headphones, opened Spotify, and started listening to my Musicals play list. By the time Reanne woke up (very hung over, I might add), I had finished a few assignments for my Musicals Class, along with some English work.

"Holy crap. I feel like I got hit by a train," groaned Reanne.

"Here, I made coffee, and here's some Advil," I said, handing them over. She looked at me gratefully, and down the Advil.

"You are an angel. I love you," she said, smiling.

"No problem," I answered, "So what happened last night with that one guy?"

"Oh," she said, blushing, "We made out in a room upstairs, but his friend texted him before things could get too serious. So that's it."

"Good," I said, "because you would have regretted anything else."

"Yeah, probably," she answered. When Jennifer returned a few hours later, she ran in, breathless.

"Claire! Guess what?" she said excitedly.

"Hmm," I said, "Brody proposed to you and you're getting married in an hour?"

"No!" she said, laughing, "I just talked to my mom, her and my dad are going to visit me in a week! And he's bringing some of his brothers."

"Oh, awesome!" I said, "Hey, I was wondering. What's your dad's last name?"

"Lahote," she answered, "Paul Lahote. And then his wife is Rachel Lahote, previously Rachel Black."

"Black?" I said, "Like…Jacob Black?"

"Yeah, that's her younger brother."

"I remember him," I said, "He was there a lot when I was little, not as much as Quil, but still a lot."

"Aww, that's cool," she said, "He's a great guy. So is Quil."

"You know Quil?"

"Yes, of course! He's like best friends with my dad."

"Oh wow," I replied, "Can I tell you something?"

"Duh!" said Jennifer.

"Okay, so I've been having these dreams. Ever since my mom and I moved from La Push. It's always me in the forest, or on the beach. And then a guy walks up behind me, and puts his arms around my waist. I turn around, and see that it's Quil. Then he whispers 'Hello, Beautiful'. And that's how it ends."

"Claire," said Jennifer seriously, "Do you know anything about why your mom left?" I shook my head. "Well, I hate to know your business, but I do."

"Why?" I asked.

"It's kind of a big deal with the pack."

"The…pack?" I asked, confused.

"Yes, the pack. The Wolf Pack."

"Like from the Hangover?" I said, laughing.

"No," she said seriously, "You know the Quileute legends, right?" I nodded; even though we moved when I was four, I still remember the legends about the Quileute tribe; the wolves that protected our village. "Well, it's true," said Jennifer, looking at me to gauge my reaction. I just stared at her.

"Yeah, okay, so guys actually turn into wolves," I laughed.

"I'm not kidding, I know it sounds crazy, but it's true. And the only reason I know is because my dad is a wolf, and it was okay for him to tell me."

"Then…why is it okay for you to tell me?"

"Because you're apart of this too."

"But, how?"

"I can't tell you. Only…he can tell you."

"Who?"

"Quil."

"Why is Quil so important to this story?" I asked.

"Claire, you know why. Maybe not the whole reason, but you know that he's a huge part of it. Don't ask me how you know," she said as I started to interrupt her, "But you do. You told me that he comes to you in your dreams."

"Yeah, but what does that mean?"

"I can't tell you. I'm sorry."

"Why?"

"Because it's not my story to tell," she said, "it's his. And only he can tell it. I shouldn't have told you this much, but you needed to know."

"Thanks," I said, "But I think I need to be alone now."

"I understand," she said, "But I'll be back later. We have plans."

"We do?" I asked, looking at her questioningly.

"Yes, we do. And no, I'm not telling you. But get dressed to impress, okay?" With that, and a smile, Jennifer left, leaving me to think.

Did I believe the story about the wolves? Yes. But what did Quil have to do with it? I spent awhile thinking about it, and actually considering calling my mom and asking her, but I decided against it. After awhile, I decided to give up and start getting ready.

I chose a pair of black jeans, a long, flowy zebra top, and my leather jacket. I paired that with my studded heeled boots and a big black ring. I left my hair down, and just as Jennifer knocked at my door, I sprayed some body spray on.

Jennifer walked in wearing a simple black dress with lacy leggings, simple black heels, and a black jacket.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Yeah, let me just grab my purse," I said, and a few minutes later, we were walking outside. "So are we taking a car, or walking, or what?"

"We are walking," she said, smiling. "It's not far away."

A few minutes later, we arrived at our destination, which ended up being a theater.

"Jennifer…"

"Claire…."

"Why are we at a theater?"

"Because we're seeing a play, silly!" I gasped. "What?" she asked alarmingly.

"Nothing….I just love plays. And musicals. Anything theater related, really."

"Well, good," she said, smiling, "I didn't know if you did or not, but I love live theater, so I decided to give it a shot."

"What are we seeing?"

"Well," she said, "Have you ever seen or heard of The Rocky Horror Picture Show?"

"NO! WE ARE NOT SEEING ROCKY HORROR."

"Yeah, is that okay?" she said worriedly.

"YES OF COURSE IT'S OKAY ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" I yelled. I'm pretty sure that everyone in a 50 mile radius heard us. I didn't care, because I LOVE Rocky Horror. My dream role is Columbia. I know every song by heart. This is going to be AMAZING.

We bought our tickets and walked inside, and got seats in the second row.

"This is going to be awesome," I said.

"Right?!" Jennifer said excitedly, "I love Frankenfurter so much!"

Two hours later, after the play ended, I was the happiest girl in the world.

"That. Was. A.M.A.Z.I.N.G." I said, still in shock.

"RIGHT?!" yelled Jennifer. We skipped back to the school, singing "Sweet Transvestite" at the top of our lungs. We got back to my room, and Jennifer's phone went off.

"Who is it?" I asked, jumping onto my bed.

"It's my mom," she said excitedly, "She wants to know if I can video chat with her. Is it okay if I bring my laptop here and talk to her?"

"Of course," I said, "Plus I want to say hi." Reanne was gone for the night (probably with that guy) so we wouldn't be annoying anyone. Jennifer ran to get her laptop, while I fixed my hair and put my ticket stub in my memory box. It's full of little bits and pieces of my life , like ticket stubs, letters, notes, cards, and random little things that make me smile.

Jennifer came back a few minutes later, laptop in hand. We got settled at my desk, and she turned Skype on. A few minutes later, her mom called, and Jennifer answered it.

"Mom!" she yelled.

"Hi honey," her mom answered, "how are you?"

"I'm good. Oh, this is my friend Claire!"

"Hi, Claire! How are you?"

"Hi Mrs. Lahote," I said, "I'm good, how are you?"

"I'm great," she answered, "And you can call me Rachel, sweetie."

"Okay!" I said, and laughed.

"Mom, I miss you so much," said Jennifer.

"I know, sweetie. I miss you too." Her mom answered, "Oh, your dad wants to say hi. Paul?" Jennifer's dad sat in front of the camera.

"Hi Jennifer," he said, smiling, "How are you? And who's this?"

"Oh, this is my friend, Claire! She's my big sister."

"Cool. Hi Claire!"

"Hi Mr. Lahote, how are you?"

"I'm good, and call me Paul."

"Okay," I said.

"So, mom, guess what Claire's last name is?" Jennifer asked. My mouth dropped open in shock; this was how she was planning to tell them?!

"What?" asked her mom.

"Young." At this one word, Paul's mouth dropped open, and I thought that Rachel was going to faint.

"CLAIRE YOUNG?!" they both yelled simultaneously.

"Yeah, that's me," I answered.

They just stared at the screen in shock; according to Jennifer, the entire tribe knew about me and whatever problems had been caused when my mom left. I quickly excused myself, and went to the common room. I just sat there for awhile, about a half hour, and when I got back, Jennifer was done talking to her parents.

"Well, that went well," she commented.

"That. Went. Well." I repeated, "you just TOLD them?! On skype?!"

"Uh. Yeah," she said confusedly, "How else would I have told them?"

"I don't know," I said, "Maybe next week, in PERSON?!" She just shook her head.

"That wouldn't have worked," she said, "I figured that they had the right to know now." Suddenly, her phone started ringing.

"What's that?" I asked.

"My mom's calling," she said, and answered her phone.

"Hello? Yeah….what?! No….no….yeah, she has a car. Really? Now? No, I don't think it'll be a problem. Family emergency…yeah…we'll leave soon. Okay? Okay. Love you too. Bye."

"What was that?" I asked, "Why did you make it sound like we're leaving?"

"Because we are," she said, "We need to take your car and drive to La Push. My mom will give us a note, excusing us from school. And she'll give you gas money when we get there."

"Why are we leaving so suddenly?" I asked, worriedly.

"Because there's an emergency. They need us there now."

"Is it because they know about me and where I am?"

"That's part of it," she answered, "but apparently some shit is going down, and even though it'd be safer to have us here, they need us there."

"Okay," I answered, and grabbed my jacket, purse, some extra money, clothes, my cell phone/charger, and I left with Jessica, to go back to my hometown.

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Oooooh, cliffhanger :) the next chapter is great!

Review(:


	4. Chapter 4

**You guys are great :') Seriously. I just checked my reviews, and you're all so positive. Someone (anonymous) said I was great. And it made me happy :) Like I said, sorry if updates are scarce, I'm in college and we can't afford internet yet. So please bear with me. But I love you all. I was wondering...if I made a tumblr (with my penname) would you guys follow? I'd post story updates and fun stuff. Let me know (by review or by PM) Okay, so enjoy this chapter!**

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The drive to Washington didn't take too long; it was the five hour drive from the Washington border to La Push that took what seemed like forever. We stopped a few times for gas and food, but we still made it there in record time. In the half hour that it took to get from Forks to La Push, I started freaking out. I was going back to my hometown, where it was obvious that my leaving was a huge scandal. Why, I don't know. But I was probably about to find out.

When we pulled up to Jennifer's parents house, I thought that I was going to either pass out or have a heart attack. Rachel and Paul ran out when they saw my car, and Jennifer jumped out and into their arms. I took a few deep breaths, and got out of my car slowly. I made my way to Jennifer and her parents, and when I got there, they just looked at me in awe.

"It's really you," her mom said quietly.

"I couldn't see it on the computer, but it is you," her dad agreed.

"Where's everyone else?" Jennifer asked, but I'm pretty sure she only meant one person. And I would bet anything that I knew who it was.

"They're at Emily's," her mom said. Emily. Aunt Emily. "They were hoping that once you got here, we would go over there?"

"Mom, it's almost 2 in the morning," Jennifer said.

"Yeah, but…they want us there," her mom insisted.

"Let's just go," I said. Her parents look at me in surprise; I realized that that was the first thing I'd said since we'd gotten there. I knew what was coming; I just wanted to get it over with.

"Claire," Paul said, "Do you know what's going on?"

"No," I answered, "I honestly don't. I mean, I know some of what's going on. But I don't know why it's such a big deal that I'm here. And I just really want to get this over with."

"Honey, maybe we should tell her now," Rachel said to him, "I mean, it would be better if she was in the know."

"Yeah….I mean, I see why we should, but shouldn't she be told by-" "Who else is going to tell her? Is it appropriate for anyone else to tell her?"

"I guess not," he agreed, "So we might as well." I just stared at them blankly, waiting for someone to say something.

"Okay," Paul began, "So do you know about the legends?" I nodded, "Good, that's a start. Well, there's many things that make wolves special, many things that they do that humans don't. And one of these things, well, it happened to Quil. And usually, this thing is binding. Like, it's impossible for someone to leave. No, I can't tell you what it is; he has to. But for some reason, it scared your mom. So she took you away one day, telling Emily that you were going with her to your grandma's house, and we never saw you again. This has been devastating for the pack, especially because we couldn't find you. We don't know how or why, but somehow your trace was covered up. We never gave up; we always looking for clues, but it was rare to find something. It was by chance that Jennifer went to MP, and by chance that you two were paired together. We don't know why that happened, either. What?" he asked as Rachel nudged him.

"Paul, darling, I know you love storytelling, but we need to go."

"Oh, yeah," he said, smiling. He took Rachel's hand, and looked at Jennifer and I. "Emily's house is just down the road, so we thought we'd walk. Is that okay?" I nodded, and followed after them as they started walking. I looked at Jennifer, who returned my nervous look. It only took a few minutes to get to Sam and Emily's house, and as soon as we started walking up onto the porch, I heard the house fall silent. Rachel and Paul walked in first, followed by Jennifer, and I pulled up the rear. I walked into what I assumed was the living room, and found myself facing a group of people, all of whom were staring at me in shock.

"It's her," I heard someone whisper. Rachel looked at Paul uncertainly, and Paul cleared his throat.

"Everyone…this is Claire." He was greeted with silence, while people still continued to stare at me. Finally, one woman separated herself from the crowd.

"Claire!" she cried as she ran up to me. I didn't know who it was, but when I saw the scars on the side of her face, I realized that it was Aunt Emily.

"Aunt Emily," I said in shock.

"Claire, sweetie, I missed you so much!" she said as she embraced me. I hugged her back, amazed that this was actually happening. After 13 years, I was finally reunited with my family, with the people that raised me. "Claire, this is Sam, my husband," Emily continued, motioning to a tall guy that walked up to us. I vaguely recognized him, and when he made eye contact with me, he smiled.

"Your eyes are the same color as they were when you were three," he commented. This similarity seemed to soothe some of the people watching us. After that, people came up to me in a steady stream, introducing themselves to me. I was reintroduced to Jared and Kim, Embry, Jacob and his fiancée Nessie (Renesmee, who I later found out, was the daughter of Bella and Edward, the tribes enemies-turned-friends), Seth, Leah, Brady, Collin, and the rest of the wolves and their mates. I finally made eye contact with the one person I hadn't yet met: Quil. We just stared at each other, while everyone else watched us quietly.

"Claire," he breathed. I smiled, and when his face lit up in return, I felt my insides twist with happiness.

"D-do you want to go outside? Like, to talk?" I asked timidly.

"Yeah…yeah, that sounds good," he replied. I turned around and walked outside, hoping that he was following. When I got out to the road, I turned around, and there he was. In a way, it was like I'd never left. Except for the fact that I was 13 years older, of course. But his face…it was the same as I remembered it. I would have been surprised, but considering the fact that he was a werewolf, I really wasn't.

"Claire," he said again, "Is that you?"

"Yes, it is," I said, smiling.

"I've missed you so much," he said.

"I missed you too," I replied, "Even though I didn't realize it until now. You've always been there with me, even when you weren't. I kept having these dreams about you."

"I had dreams, too. They're the only thing that kept me sane throughout the years that you were gone."

"Quil," I said, "I'm confused. I remember you being my babysitter when I was young, but for some reason, I feel this connection to you. And it just seems…weird. And awkward."

"I know," he said grimly, "Usually it doesn't, but because you left, it's awkward. I want to explain this to you, I want you to understand. I assume that you know about the wolves?" I nodded, "Do you know about imprinting?" I shook my head, "Okay. When we're wolves, certain senses are heightened. We can smell, hear, and see better than humans. We heal faster, and our bodies run at extremely high temperatures. When we're in our wolf forms, we basically share one mind-so we can hear each other's thoughts. Another weird thing that we do is imprinting. When you imprint on someone, that person is the one. I know, it seems like there's no choice, but I swear to you, there is. Remember how, when we were apart, there wasn't a terrible longing between us? I mean, you felt it, but it wasn't there, forcing you to feel pain because we weren't together. That's because, when I imprinted on you, you were young. Yes, I know, it's creepy. But when you imprint on someone, you're not just their lover. You're their big brother, their friend, and sometimes their babysitter. You're there for them no matter what, and if and when they choose to be with you in a more intimate way, the bond strengthens and doesn't let go. I know that this is a lot, but you need to know."

"Quil, I can't just fall in love with you," I said simply.

"I'm not asking you to. I'm telling you what's going on. But I know that you feel the pull right now, the pull to be near me. I'm not asking you to love me now. I'm only asking you to give it a chance."

"I can give you a chance," I said, "But I have school. I can't just stay here. I have classes, and my mom is putting a lot of money into my education right now. I can't just turn my back on it."

"I understand that," he said, "And I'm willing to work for this. I'm not just going to turn my back on you, I'm going to make this work. No matter what the cost."

We spent the rest of the night (or rather, morning) talking. We eventually returned to the party, but found a private place to talk. I told him about what the past 13 years of my life had been like. I told him about MP, about Reanne, the parties we had gone to, the classes I had taken, and the people I had met. He told me about the wolf pack, about graduating high school, and about watching the imprinted couples of the pack grow. Emily and Sam had two girls, Mallory and Jessica. Kim was 7 months pregnant with her and Jared's first child, which would be a boy named Brandon.

At around 6, Rachel and Paul decided to head home, and Jennifer offered to stay with me. We stayed at Sam and Emily's for another half hour, until they went to bed. The three of us decided to take a walk, and ended up at the beach. As the sun rose, we stood on the sand, with the waves lapping up onto our feet. At this moment, these few seconds of near-perfection, it hit me. I knew that my choices were limited. I could return to MP, and if I did, I would be in a serious relationship with Quil Atera, or I wouldn't be returning at all. I could stay here, and go to La Push High School. Even though Quil and I hadn't made anything official, or even discussed being in a romantic relationship, I knew what would happen, because that was how these things worked. I was sure of it.

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**It's really weird reading this now, when I'm already writing chapter 9 or something. But seriously...it's about to get good. I think you're going to kill me after the next chapter :)**


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hello! I'm sorry that updates are becoming scarce...I did warn you all, though. BUT. You might (MIGHT) get three updates this weekend. IF you get me to 18-20 reviews (4-6 more). And remember, chapter 6 is great. It's only like 500 words. But it's one of my favorites. So enjoy chapter 5...because things get heavy in 6.

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We finally said goodbye to Quil at around 9, and went back to Jennifer's parent's house. We passed out on her bed, and woke up at around 2. Since it was Friday, I didn't need to worry about school for a few days, but I knew that I would eventually need to.

When I finally woke up, I recalled the events of the early morning. I remembered talking to Quil, and the connection I felt when I was with him. I felt like everything was perfect, like nothing could disturb our little slice of happiness. I checked my phone groggily, and found a text from Quil.

"Hey Claire, I was wondering if you want to go out tonight. Let me know. -Quil : )" I smiled, because, believe it or not, I've never been on a real date before. Whenever I've been with a guy, it's only been for a few days, because either he didn't want commitment, or I realized that he wasn't all he said he was. So being asked out by a guy for once was a nice change. I typed out a reply, saying that I would love to. I shook Jennifer until she woke up.

"Wuuhh…"

"Wake up! Wake up!"

"Whyyyy?" she asked groggily.

"Because I HAVE A DATE WITH QUIL!" I yelled. Jennifer squealed in delight and hugged me.

"That's adorable! What are you going to wear? Where are you going? When are you going?"

"Jennifer. I just woke up. I don't know the answers to any of those questions," my phone lit up, "wait. Okay, I'm going at 6, and he says to not ask, because it's a surprise."

"Oooh," she said happily, "A surprise. So romantic. I'll lend you some clothes, if you want!"

"That would be great," I agreed, "Since we left so suddenly."

"Yes, but wasn't it worth it?"

"Yeah, it was."

By 5:30, I was ready to go. I was wearing black leggings, with a purple shirt that went down to my mid-thigh. I paired that with Jennifer's black boots, and she helped me curl my hair. When Quil knocked at the door, Paul stepped in front of me and answered the door.

"Quil," he said briskly.

"Hey Paul," Quil said, "I'm here to pick up Claire."

"Yes, I know. And I'm her somewhat legal guardian, so you have to go through me."

"Paul, stop screwing around. You have no authority over her."

"Bullshit. She's living under my roof. So. Have her home by 1, don't do anything illegal, or equally dangerous. And have a good time. CLAIRE!" he yelled, even though I was right behind him, "Your date is here." I smiled, and stepped out from behind him. When he let me pass by him, and Quil saw me, his eyes widened.

"You look beautiful," he said.

"Thank you, you look pretty handsome yourself," I replied. He took my hand, which of course made me blush, and walked me to his car. He held the door open for me, and after I was in and he closed the door, he got into the drivers seat.

"So, where are we going?" I asked.

"It's a surprise," he replied. I rolled my eyes. We spent the rest of the drive talking about random things. Movies I had seen, music I liked, TV shows I watched. He seemed genuinely interested in it all. He asked about my past romantic relationships with guys, and I told him that I'd never been in an official relationship before. It seemed to shock him for some reason, but he never elaborated.

About a half hour after we left, we passed a sign that said, "Welcome to Port Angeles". I remembered that Port Angeles was the only somewhat big town in the general area of Forks and La Push, and had a somewhat bustling nightlife. Quil parked in a parking garage on the edge of town, and helped me out of the car.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going now?" I asked, smiling.

"The street," he replied. I laughed, and let him take my hand again. He led me out of the parking garage, and we walked for a few blocks before I noticed the smell of fried food. We turned a corner, and I found myself looking at a street fair. There were booths everywhere, and tons of food stands. As we walked closer, I saw carnival games for kids, along with some small carnival rides.

"Quil…this is amazing," I said in awe.

"I thought you might like it," he said, smiling.

"I do." We walked around, before deciding to get food. I chose a Chinese platter, while he chose something that came in a bowl, and had a bunch of fried stuff in it. I had no idea what it was, but he seemed to enjoy it. We ate on a grassy lawn, and watched the sun go down. When we finished eating, we walked around some more. We found a booth that sold novelty t-shirts, and after asking me what size shirt I wore, Quil told me to wait. He ran inside the booth, and came back a few minutes later with a bag. He took a shirt out and handed it to me. I opened it, and it said, "I Love Wolves" in huge, glittery lettering. I started laughing hysterically.

"So, you like it?" he said jokingly.

"Y-yes, I love it," I answered, still laughing, "So what does yours say?" He held up his shirt, which said "WOLF PACK" across the front. I smiled, and hugged him. When I realized that I wanted to tell him that I loved him, I stepped away. This was moving too fast, I had school, which was in Oregon for goodness' sake. Not to mention the fact that I had just seen him yesterday for the first time in 13 years.

"Claire? Is something wrong?" he asked, his face concerned.

"Yeah, everything's fine," I answered, "I just, um, was afraid that my breath smelled bad?" Good one, Claire. Very convincing. Quil just stared at me, trying to figure out what the real problem was. Before he could say anything, I asked, "Do you want to go play carnival games?"

"Oh, you're on!" he replied, and grabbed my hand, dragging me over to the Midway area. An hour later, we had a stuffed bunny, two small stuffed bears, and a big panda bear. We decided to head home then, and we walked back to the parking garage. We didn't talk much on the way home, but it gave me time to reflect on my feelings. I knew that I like him, but I also knew that this was moving way too fast.

When we got back to Jennifer's house, he helped me out of the car, and then gave me the panda, and the bunny.

"Quil, keep the bunny," I said.

"No, you keep it. It'll keep you close to me when I'm not around," he argued.

"That's what the panda is for. Take the bunny." He sighed, and then held out his hand. I put the bunny in it, and smirked. "I had a great time tonight," I said, looking up at him.

"I did, too," he replied. He wrapped his arms around my waist, and I put my hands on his shoulders. I knew what was about to happen, but I didn't fight it. He leaned in, and pressed a soft, innocent kiss to my lips. He then pulled back, hugged me, and said, "I'll call you tomorrow." With that, he was gone. I smiled to myself, hugged the panda closer to me, and walked inside. I went upstairs to Jennifer's room, and unsurprisingly, she was wide awake, waiting for me.

"How was it?!" she asked excitedly. I told her everything, and when I got to the part where he kissed me, she squealed. "That is so adorable," she said, sighing. I grabbed a pair of pajamas, crawled into bed, and fell asleep, dreaming of Quil. And this time, it wasn't a dream of longing. It was a dream of knowing.

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Cue cheesy ending. Sorry :)

Review!


	6. Chapter 6

**Well, here's chapter 6, which is only 531 words long. But it's seriously one of my favorites. And 7 should be up shortly.**

**Thank you for the reviews. People are giving me lots of ideas :)  
**

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When I woke up the next day, I couldn't help but smile. For the first time, I felt whole. Complete. I knew that Quil was the one. Yes, maybe I'd only gone on one date with him. But I knew how I felt. When Jennifer woke up, she immediately ran to the window, only to see that it was snowing. There were a few inches of snow on the ground already, and it was still falling steadily. She then jumped on my bed, yelling, "IT'S SNOWING! IT'S SNOWING!" I groaned, and pushed her away from me.

"Jennifer. You sound like you're four."

"SHUT UP CLAIRE. It's snowing. Snow is fun. Snow means snowmen, snowball fights, and lots of WHITE FLUFFINESS NOW GET OUT OF BED." When I didn't move, she literally pushed me off of the bed. I finally got off of the floor, and, much to Jennifer's insistence, put on a pair of snow pants, a warm sweater, a heavy jacket, a hat, scarf, gloves, wool socks, and big snow boots. When I finally had everything on, I looked like a marshmallow. Well, a multicolored marshmallow, since nothing matched. When Jennifer was ready, she bounded downstairs (I hobbled), and when we reached the kitchen, her parents started laughing.

"We probably should have mentioned that Jennifer loves the snow," her mom said, laughing. I made an incoherent noise and helped myself to some coffee. When I was done, Jennifer literally dragged me out of the door. I looked around outside, and saw a pure white winter wonderland. Everything was coated in snow, and even I, in my somewhat incoherent, most pissed off state, had to admit that it was beautiful. Well, it was, until Jennifer started throwing snow at me. I was about ready to charge at her when I felt someone come up behind me.

"Hello, beautiful," Quil whispered in my ear, "Enjoying the snow?"

"I would be," I answered, "But Jennifer literally dragged me out here. And I look like a mismatched, multicolored marshmallow." He laughed.

"You're a cute marshmallow, multicolored or not," he said. I then heard a bunch of people running, and before I knew it, I was surrounded by the majority of the wolf pack, in human form.

"SNOWBALL FIGHT!" I heard someone yell. Before I knew it, snowballs were flying everywhere. I considered running for the house, but Quil saw my plan of action.

"No, you don't!" he said, and picked me up, using me as a shield.

"QUIL! QUIL, PUT ME OW! DOWN!" I yelled, as I was getting pelted with snowballs, "QUIL, DAMN IT I DON'T KNOW YOUR MIDDLE NAME ATERA PUT ME DOWN!" He eventually put me down, and then paused when he looked at my face.

"What?" I asked.

"You're beautiful," he replied, and then kissed me. It was sweet and innocent, and probably the best kiss anyone, in the entire world, had ever gotten. It was a perfect moment.

"CLAIRE MARIE YOUNG."

Oh shit.

"WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING."

Fuck.

"ANSWER ME, DAMN IT. WHY AREN'T YOU IN OREGON, AT THE SCHOOL THAT I PAY EXTREME AMOUNTS OF MONEY TO FOR YOUR EDUCATION?!"

Well, hello to you too, Mom.


	7. Chapter 7

**I hope that you all loved chapter 6, so here is chapter 7.  
**

**There's a lot of yelling during this chapter... :)**

** Also, I'm getting a lot of people saying that she should go to MP. I honestly haven't decided yet...  
**

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"CLAIRE YOUNG."

"Yes, mother?"

"WHAT ON EARTH DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

"It's called a snowball fight, mother."

"DON'T YOU DARE TALK TO ME LIKE THAT."

"Mom, can we go somewhere more…private?"

"Fine." She said huffily. I turned around, and walked into Jennifer's house. When I walked past the kitchen, her parents stared at me confusedly, and once they saw my mom, they became shocked. They stared at us in silence as I walked upstairs, with my mom behind me. I figured that Jennifer would come in and explain to her parents what was going on. I got into Jennifer's room, and when my mom walked in, I closed the door.

"Hi, mom," I said quietly.

"Claire Young," she said angrily, "What the HELL do you think you're doing here?"

"I'm visiting," I replied.

"And why are you 'visiting'?" she asked.

"I'm in this program at MP called 'Big Sister, Little Sister', and Jennifer was my little sister. We became friends, and started talking, and when she realized who I was, she told me some of what happened in La Push after we left. Then she introduced me to her parents, and it became known in the tribe. When that happened, they demanded that we drive here. Her mom excused us from school yesterday, and was planning to until we returned."

"And when were you planning on returning?" she asked menacingly.

"Probably Monday," I answered, "I wasn't sure. It all depended on Quil." When I said his name, her eyes narrowed. "And now that you've asked your questions, mother, I'm going to ask mine. Why did you take me from La Push?"

"I'm not answering that," she said dismissively.

"Fine, then I guess we're done here," I said as I walked to the door. "I didn't like it," I heard her whisper from behind me.

"What?"

"I didn't like it," she repeated, "I didn't like the way Quil looked at you then. And now…he looks exactly the same," she shuddered, "And I come here to find you kissing him. I did my best to get you away from this. And you just came running back."

"That's because it was my choice. I can do what I want. I knew that Quil played some part in my life, I just didn't know what. But I do now. And, Mom, I love him. I know it sounds crazy, but I do."

"Claire. You do NOT love him. You've known him for, what, two days? And the last time you saw him you were two. You do not love him."

"Mom, trust me. I know."

"When are you going back to school?"

"When I feel like it."

"I'm taking you back now," she said, "I'm going to get you away from this town, these people, one last time. If you EVER return, I will cut you off. I will have nothing to do with you, EVER."

"Mom…what are you not telling me?"

"CLAIRE."

"You blame it on Quil. But there's more, otherwise you wouldn't threaten me like that."

"I can do whatever I want to you, Claire."

"Mother. I'm not leaving."

"Yes, you are. I am giving you five minutes to say goodbye to everyone. And then I'm taking you back to Minetonga."

"Mom. You can't do this. First, you take me from my home, then you send me off for schooling the second I can leave. You want nothing to do with me. So why are you forcing me to be even closer to you when you know that you don't want to be close with me?!"

"I'm done talking. Get your stuff. Meet me at the car in 5 minutes."

That bitch. I couldn't believe that she was doing this. The second she walked out the door, I started crying. About ten seconds later, I heard someone bounding up the stairs, and I knew that it would be Quil. A second later, he was next to me, wrapping his arms around me.

"Claire, shh, honey. Why are you crying?"

"M-my mother," I replied, "She's taking me. Back to Minetonga. She says that if I don't go, she's going to cut me off. I-I-I don't know what to d-d-do…" He sighed.

"Claire, you need to go," he said sadly, "You need to go back to Minetonga. I will find you again, someday. Maybe next week, next month, or next year. I will eventually have you back. But you need to go."

"Quil," I sobbed, "I love you. I didn't want to tell you like this, b-but I do."

"I know, sweetheart. I love you, too."

A few minutes later, I had said goodbye to Rachel and Paul, Jennifer, and the rest of the wolves. Jennifer would head back to MP in a couple of days, but I didn't know when I would see everyone else again. Right before I got into the car, Quil came up to me.

"Claire, even though it's only been two days, it's been the best two days of my life. I love you, and I'm going to miss you more than words can say. But one day, I will see you again." I didn't respond, I just leaned into him. He wrapped his arms around me, and we stood there, not talking, just hugging. My mom honked the horn, and I rolled my eyes. I looked up at him, and we kissed, one last time. I climbed into the passenger seat of my moms car, and she pulled away from the house.

"I don't know why you're so upset," she said, "This place is a hell hole." I didn't say anything, I just stared out the window. When we were almost to the La Push/Forks border, she said, "I also don't know why you're wasting your time with Quil. There are men out there that are better than him. I mean, he's just a boy. Years from now, when you're married, you're not even going to remember him. He's a pimple on the face of the human race." Suddenly, I couldn't take my moms rude, unnecessary comments anymore. I couldn't do this.

"Mom, pull over."

"Honey, no."

"MOM. I'm going to throw up PULL OVER." She looked at me disapprovingly, but obliged. As soon as she pulled over, I grabbed my purse, and took off running.

"CLAIRE YOUNG WHAT THE FU-" I stopped running, and looked back at her.

"Cut me off, Mom. Do it. I'm happy here. I don't want to go back to MP. I'll finish my high school education here in La Push. I'll live here, and I'll be happy. I won't be happy there."

"Fine." she replied, "Consider yourself cut off. Enjoy living in this Hell hole. And one day, when you realize how unhappy you are, do NOT come back to me. All I'll do is tell you 'I told you so'." I didn't say another word to her. I just turned around, and kept walking back to La Push. I left my entire childhood behind me- my mother, my high class education, my nice clothes, everything that made me an upper class citizen. But I didn't care. I was walking towards my future, which was brighter in every way possible.

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**I just realized that this chapter answers something that a reviewer said...**

:)


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hello, readers! Sorry that it's been so long. The college life got insane, and I ran out of time to write. As of now, this is the last chapter I have completed. I'll try to write soon, but I recently got a job, and I have training next week, and then I start mid-November. So updates will be sparse. Please, try to stick with me through this. **

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I walked back towards Jennifer's house, feeling a little distraught about the fact that I left my mom. But then I remembered what she said about Quil, and I knew that I had made the right choice. I figured that my admission at MP would be revoked almost immediately, so I should probably call them to get my transcripts, and find a way there so I could pick up my belongings and say goodbye to Reanne. I would have to enroll at the local high school, and find a place to stay. I'd probably have to get a job, considering the fact that I had no money. My mom had access to my bank account, so I needed to either withdraw all of my money, or just kiss it all goodbye. If I didn't have the money, I don't know where I'd get a job, since there's almost no stores in La Push. Just the General Store, which Embry's mom owned…maybe, since they knew me, I could work there.

By the time I made it back to Jennifer's (with the snow, it took almost an hour to get there) I was tired, and hopeless. What if I can't get a job? What if I have nowhere to stay? The questions were endless. No one was outside, so I walked up onto the porch and knocked on the door. Jennifer answered, and when she saw me, she stared at me in shock.

"Hel-Claire. What..are you? Doing? Here?" I laughed.

"My mom was being extremely rude and it made me realize that I belong here." She smiled, and hugged me.

"Jennifer, who was at th-" her mom said, and stopped when she saw me. "Claire? What are you doing here?" I told her what I told Jennifer, but instead of smiling, she looked at me grimly. "Claire, I know why you did what you did. But did you even think it through? Where are you going to stay? Do you have money? What about school?"

"Mrs. Lahote, I know that I should have gone with my mom. With her, I had everything. Money, an education, shelter, food, clothing. But I wasn't truly happy. It wasn't until I was here that I finally felt happy. I will take hardship if I can be happy."

"I can understand that. And you can stay here for as long as you want, free of charge. Of course, I wouldn't be surprised if Quil offers you his house, but keep us in mind."

"Thank you, Mrs. Lahote. I'm sorry to put this on you."

"Oh honey," she said sympathetically, "I don't blame you at all."

"Rachel, who was at the door?" Paul yelled. I started laughing, especially when he came to the door and saw me. He stared at me in shock. "Claire?"

"Yeah, I'm baaack!" Rachel and Jennifer laughed.

"She's going to be staying here," Rachel explained, "She left her mom."

"Rachel," he said disapprovingly, "I don't kn-"

"Paul, I already talked to her about it. We have it figured out." He just shook his head.

"Okay, but-"

"'But' nothing, Paul." He sighed, and then smiled at her.

"I love you." She responded by hugging him, and he kissed her forehead.

"Wait, there's still a problem," Rachel said.

"What?" I asked.

"Who's going to call Quil?" she said, smiling. I laughed, and Jennifer ran inside to get the phone. When she went to hand it to me, her mom stopped her. "Let's have some fun, okay?" we all nodded, and she took the phone from Jennifer. She dialed a number, and put it to her ear.

"Hello…is Quil there? Yes….Hi, Quil, it's Rachel. Yeah, can you come over here real quick? It's important. No, honey, I know that the football game is about to start. Quil. Come. Here. Now. Okay, thanks! Bye!"

After she hung up the phone, we all started laughing.

"He seemed to think that football was more important than whatever I had to show him," she said.

"So what am I supposed to do?" I asked.

"Go inside," Rachel said, "And sit in…hmm…the laundry room. On top of the washer, okay?"

"Sure," I said, and walked inside. Jennifer showed me where the laundry room was, and helped me onto the washer. Afterwards, she ran back outside, leaving me to wait. I sat on the washer, thinking about random stuff, and waiting to hear Quil's voice. A few minutes later, I heard Rachel say, "Hey, Quil!" a little louder than usual. Then, "Will you help me out? There's a box on the washer that I can't pick up, can you go get it for me? Just bring it out here." He agreed, and I heard him walk inside. He got closer, closer, and closer to the door before he opened it. I don't think that he realized that I was there at first, but then he looked at me and his mouth dropped open.

"Claire…?"

"Hey, Quil," I replied nonchalantly, "What's up?" He just stared at me.

"Why are you here?" he asked.

"Why, Quil? Don't you want me here?" I joked, "No, I ran. Literally. My mom was talking shit on everything, and I realized that if I wasn't here, I wasn't happy. So, I left."

"Claire, I don-"

"You don't think it was a good idea for me to run? Well, I ran. I'm staying here, Rachel already said I could live here if I wanted. I realized that even if I had everything, I wouldn't have you. And you're what makes me happy." He stared at me for another minute, before coming up to me. Before I knew what was happening, he was kissing me furiously. I wrapped my legs around his waist, and knotted my hands in his hair. He responded by grabbing my butt, and picking me up. I opened my mouth, allowing him access.

"Claire, did Qui-Oh. So he did find you," Jennifer said suddenly. Quil and I separated, with him dropping me back on the washer.

"Uh, hey," Quil said awkwardly.

"Umm, I'll just leave now," Jennifer said, and walked out the door. I smiled at Quil awkwardly, and he helped me off of the washer.

"Ow," I said, rubbing my butt. Quil looked at me guiltily.

"Sorry," he said, "Wait, so you're living here? What about Jennifer?"

"I don't know," I replied, "But yeah, her mom said that I can stay here."

"You can stay with me if you want," he said nervously, "I mean, I live on my own,"

"I would love that," I said, "But I think we should take this slowly." He nodded.

"I understand," he said, "And believe me, I won't pressure you to do anything. Okay?" I nodded. "Good. Now, I was wondering, are you doing anything tonight?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Awesome. Because I play guitar in this band, and we have a show tonight. Do you want to go? You can bring Jennifer."

"I would love to," I said, "But I have almost no money."

"Claire. I'll pay for you, don't worry. Just call it a date."

"I don't like people paying for me, but okay." He smiled.

"It's a date then. It's actually in Forks, in this little café/nightclub thing. It's called Sing, Sang, Sung. Be there around 6? Oh, and we can go out after." I nodded, and told him that I'd be there. He left soon after, saying that he had to go run patrol, and kissed me goodbye. I wandered up to Jennifer's room, where she was sitting on her bed, reading. When she saw me come in, she immediately started apologizing.

"Claire, I am so sorry, I didn-"

"Jennifer. Stop. It's okay!" I said, laughing. "Anyways, are you going back to MP?"

"I don't know," she said, "I might. But I want to stay here with you!"

"Don't wait around for me," I said, "I'm probably going to be all over the place anyways."

"Still. I want to be here. I only left because I had no one to hang out with, and I wanted a change. You're an answer to both!"

"Aww, well I'd love to be your roommate," I said, and hugged her. I told her about Quil's show that night, and when I asked her if she wanted to go, she started jumping up and down.

"YES I WANT TO GO!" she yelled. "Besides, maybe there'll be a cute wolf boy for me."

"What happened to Brody?" I asked.

"I sent him a message the day we left, saying that I had to go. And he hasn't replied."

"Asshole."

"Pretty much. So what are you going to wear tonight?" she asked.

"I have no idea. I have no clothes here. And no money to go shopping with."

"Well, obviously you can borrow some of my clothes," she said, "I have tons. More than enough for me." We wandered into her closet, and we picked out our outfits for the night. I decided on black pants, a red off-the-shoulder sweater with a black tank top underneath, and tall black studded boots. Luckily, Jennifer and I were about the same size, so everything fit. She decided to wear a grey sweater dress with dark grey tights, black boots, and a black knitted hat. Her parents had no problem with us going, since it was a Friday night. They never said anything about Jennifer going back to MP, and I was grateful. As selfish as it was, I liked having her here with me.

We left the house, and headed to Forks. We made it to Sing, Sang, Sung, (or, as the locals called it SSS) about ten minutes before the band was supposed to go on. When we got to the door, we found out that Quil had already paid for us. He really was an amazing guy. We walked inside and found a table close to the stage, and ordered soda and a basket of French fries. When the band was announced, (their name was Hi Kryptonite, I later found out) Jennifer and I clapped and cheered loudly for them. They announced each of the band members, and when they got to Quil, I catcalled at him. He looked at me and winked. I blushed and looked at Jennifer, who was laughing. They started on their first set, and I found that I really liked the music. It was classic rock, which I feel like they don't make enough of anymore. When they finished their first set, and walked offstage, I was in awe. My boyfriend is a rockstar. Okay, so maybe he's not my boyfriend. But he's close.

"Ma'm, I would like to inform you that it is considered rude to catcall at members of the band," I heard someone say from behind me.

"Well," I replied without turning around, "It's also considered rude to wink at a member of the audience." Quil laughed, and when I turned around, he kissed me softly. It was a sweet moment, until I heard Jennifer yell "GET SOME!" We broke away, and I shot her a dirty look. She just laughed.

"Claire, come meet the band," Quil said, tugging on my hand. I agreed, and we walked over to a table in the back, where the rest of the band was sitting. "Claire, this is Michael, Ron, and Corey. Also known as Drums, Bass, and Lead Vocals."

"Hi," I said, smiling, "I'm Claire."

"Oh, so YOU'RE Claire!" Ron exclaimed, "Quil seriously talks about nothing but you." Quil rolled his eyes.

"It's sickening, really," Michael agreed, putting an arm around Quil, who looked ready to kill.

"I told you to be nice to her, not make me look like an idiot!" he groaned. I laughed, and wrapped my arms around him. The guys "aww"-ed, which, in turn, made me blush. Corey looked at his watch and cussed.

"Dudes, we have to get back. Our next set starts in 5." The rest of the guys got up and headed back to what I assumed was an entrance to the stage.

"Ugh, babe, I have to go," Quil said, "But I'll take you back to your table." I nodded, and let him lead me back to the table, where Jennifer was talking to some guy. I kissed Quil goodbye and wished him luck. He disappeared, and I faced Jennifer and Mystery Guy. Shortly after Quil left, the guy left too, hugging Jennifer.

"Who was that?" I asked her.

"Oh, my friend from middle school," she answered, "His name is Ethan."

"Cute boy," I said.

"Yeah," she agreed, "A little bit too quiet for my taste, though." I just laughed, and the band started playing again. I enjoyed watching Quil play the guitar; he did it so effortlessly, it was hot.

"Jennifer," I said, leaning closer to her so she could hear me, "What would you say if I told you that I want to, um, spend the night at Quil's tonight?" She gasped.

"CLAIRE! OOH MY GOOOD. Do it! Go!"

"So, that's what you'd say?" I laughed. She pushed my arm.

"Yes. Go. I mean, if you want to and it feels right." I nodded.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I want to. I don't know, I'll see how it goes." When the guys finished their last set, Quil came over to me.

"So I have to help clean stuff up, but do you want to go out afterwards?" I nodded.

"Yeah, but I have to take Jennifer home, cause we came here in my car."

"Okay, so how about you two go home, and I'll pick you up when I'm done?"

"That sounds great," I said. He kissed me goodbye, and went to go help the guys. Jennifer and I drove home, and instead of going inside, sat in my car, listening to music and talking. When Quil showed up awhile later, I said goodbye to Jennifer, and got in Quil's car.

"So where are we going?" I asked him.

"I really have no idea," he said, "But I was thinking that we could go by my house?"

"That's fine," I said. We drove to his house, which was just down the road, and he took me inside. He gave me a tour of the house, which was small but comfy. There was one bedroom, a living room, kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room. He excused himself, and went into the bathroom. Once he left, I went into his room, and, deciding to have some fun, grabbed one of his shirts from his closet. I took my shirt off, put his on, and since it was big enough, took my pants off, too. I walked into the kitchen, and puttered around, waiting for him to get out of the bathroom. I heard the door open, and when he called my name, I answered,

"I'm in the kitchen!" I had my back to the entrance, and when he walked in, I could tell that he froze. I turned around, only to find him staring at me, in shock.

"What, is there something on my face?" I said, feigning innocence.

"What are you wearing?" he asked, in awe.

"Oh, do you like it?" I said, twirling, "I found it."

"Claire, Claire, Claire," he said, smiling, "What am I going to do with you?" I laughed, and stepped closer to him. "You know, I could take it off…" He got a seductive gleam in his eyes, and stepped towards me. "Or, do you want to do that?"

"Claire," he said, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I know that I haven't been open with my feelings. But I like you. Actually, I love you."

"I love you, too," he said, "A lot. I just want to make sure that you actually want this."

"Quil Atera," I said, putting my hands on his chest, "I love you. I want you. Okay?" He smiled. I leaned forward and kissed him passionately. He grabbed my butt and lifted me up as I wrapped my legs around his waist. He carried me to his room and lay me on his bed. He got on top of me, and lifted the shirt over my head. He kissed me slowly, and then more heatedly, before he started kissing me down my body. When he hooked his fingers on my underwear, he looked at me.

"Are you sure?" he asked. I just nodded. He continued, and we became one.

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**Sorry if the ending was a little weird. I didn't know how else to put it without going full out Lemon on you. So...enjoy. And I'll update when I can.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hello, fabulous readers! I am so sorry about the lack of updating...not sure if I mentioned it in the last chapter, but I got a job :) I seriously love it so far, even though I've only had training. The people I work with are awesome, they're a lot like me. Which should be great! For those of you that don't know, I live in Lake Tahoe (California) and I'm working at a ski resort for the winter (and, if I work hard enough, the summer too). So yeah.**

**Sorry about the awkward sex scene? Haha...I'm not the best at those. But hopefully I'll get better. This chapter was fun to write, and then end could possibly hint at something more ;)  
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**Also, i know I've mentioned this before, but feel free to PM me! I love love love love love love love hearing from you guys. (can't you tell?! ;) ) And review, review, review!  
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I woke up the next morning, laying in Quil's arms. It was one of those perfect moments, where I knew that no one, or nothing, could ruin this. When my phone rang, I groaned. I hadn't realized that Quil was awake until I heard him laugh. I sat up, and found my phone in the pocket of my jeans, which were on the floor. I checked the caller ID and saw that Jennifer was calling me.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Claire, dude, where are you?" Jennifer asked, panicked.

"I'm at Quil's, why?"

"Your mom called my house. She's pissed. I think she was drunk or something? She's threatening to come get you, and wants to know where you are. My parents assume that you're with Quil, but they don't want to tell her that. They told her that you're at the store, but if you don't answer the phone when she calls back in fifteen minutes, she's coming to get you."

"Shit!" I yelled, "I'll be right there." I hung up the phone, and grabbed my pants, putting them back on. "What's wrong?" Quil asked, alarmed. I told him what was going on. "Do you want me to drive you home?" I nodded.

"I'd walk," I said, "But it'll take too long." I finished putting my pants on and put my shirt on, too. When I was done, we left, and Quil drove me home. When I got to the house, I ran in, and yelled, "I'm home!" Jennifer came tearing down the stairs, and Rachel and Paul ran into the living room.

"Good," Rachel said, "Because your mom should be calling…now. Remember, you were at the store!" she said as she handed me the phone. As I answered it, I noticed Paul take Quil into the kitchen.

"Hello?" I said as I answered the phone.

"Claire," my mom said, sounding surprised, "Where were you?"

"The store," I answered, "Rachel wanted eggs so that she could make French toast for breakfast."

"Well, I don't like you being there," she said rudely, "You're just imposing on those…people."

"Mother. They're letting me stay here for free. They're glad that I'm here, actually." She laughed.

"More like they just like a charity case," she said, "Don't be surprised when they kick you out."

"Mom, why did you call me?" I asked.

"Because I think that you need to stop living in your own little world, and go back to Minetonga, where you belong!" she yelled. Jennifer was right, she was drunk. It was 8 in the morning, and she was drunk.

"Mom. You're drunk, go to sleep."

"CLAIRE YOUNG DON'T YOU DAR-"

"Dare what, mother? I thought that you cut me off, and that I was out of your life."

"That doesn't mean that I don't care about you, honey."

"This conversation is over, mother. I'm going back to Minetonga on Wednesday to pick up my transcripts, return my books, and to get my stuff." I hung up the phone, and handed it back to Rachel. "I'm sorry that you had to hear that," I said apologetically. She just shook her head.

"I don't know how you did that," she said, "You shouldn't have to deal with that. At all." I nodded.

"Yeah, but it's okay."

"It's really not," Rachel said, sadly. Paul walked back into the living room, with Quil trailing behind him.

"Jennifer, are you going back to MP?" I asked. She looked at her mom, who looked at Paul.

"Do you want to?" Rachel asked.

"I do," Jennifer said, "Because I love it. But I want to stay here with Claire."

"I'd offer to send Claire back, but…" Paul said. I shook my head.

"No, you're not paying for me," I said sternly, "You're already letting me stay here."

"Jen, if you want to go back, you can," Rachel said, "But if you want to stay here, you can. It's up to you; we won't be mad either way."

"Let me think about it," Jennifer said, "Can I let you know by Monday?"

"How about Tuesday?" Rachel offered, "Since that's when Claire's going to get her stuff." Jennifer nodded.

"That sounds good," she said. Paul and Rachel excused themselves then, leaving Jennifer, Quil and I in the living room.

"So, what did you and Paul talk about when I was talking to my mom?" I asked Quil. He looked at the floor and blushed a little.

"He, um, told me to be, ya know…safe."

"Oh," I said, also blushing. Jennifer started laughing, and I poked her in the ribs. "It's not funny!" When she finished laughing, she looked at us for a second, and then excused herself and ran upstairs.

"That was weird," I commented.

"Only a little," Quil agreed. He then came up to me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I leaned my head on his shoulder, and whispered "I love you" in his ear. He smiled, and told me that he loved me, too. He started laughing, and I looked up at him. "What's so funny?" I asked.

"I have an idea," he said. He whispered it in my ear and I agreed. We decided to let Jennifer in on our plan, and went upstairs to tell her. She agreed, and went downstairs to make sure that her parents were still in the kitchen. She distracted them for a second, while Quil and I ran into the laundry room. He helped me sit on top of the washer, and stood in front of me. When we heard Jennifer cough, Quil looked at me, and winked.

"OH, QUIL! QUIL! QUIL, YOU'RE SO GOOD! QUIL…QUILQUILQUIL! OH MY GOD, HOLY SHI-AAAAH" Suddenly, Paul and Rachel ran into the laundry room. I started laughing, and Quil, who was trying to contain his laughter the entire time, started laughing too. They just looked at us, these awed looks on their faces. Quil walked over to Paul, and said, "And that, my friend, is what you get for giving me a sex talk." Paul looked like he was about to punch him. Rachel, on the other hand, was laughing hysterically. Paul looked at her like she was crazy.

"Paul, doesn't that remind you of something we would have done to Jake when we first got together?" Paul finally smiled, and nodded. Thinking about that made him laugh, and before I knew it, he was guffawing louder than any of us. I hopped off of the washer and walked up behind Quil, wrapping my arms around his waist.

"You know you love us," I said to Rachel and Paul.

"Yes, we do," Rachel agreed. Paul, who was still laughing, just nodded in agreement. Quil and I excused ourselves, and walked outside.

"What are we going to do today?" I asked him. He just shook his head, and told me to go get dressed. I ran inside, and asked Jennifer if I could borrow some more clothes. She agreed, and I threw on a pair of jeans, my boots, and a soft flannel shirt. I ran back downstairs, and found Quil.

"I'm ready," I announced.

"You're so beautiful," he commented. I smiled, and leaned up to kiss him. When we pulled away, he took my hand and led me to his car. There was still snow on the ground, so the drive took longer than I imagined it would.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Just…somewhere," he said, smiling. I rolled my eyes, and looked at the road; we passed the La Push border, and I looked at Quil questioningly.

"Are you even allowed past the border?"

"Yeah, it's just the cold ones that can't come onto our land, unless special circumstances allow them to."

"Has that happened?"

"Yeah," Quil said, "Awhile ago, when you were two, a group of vampires came here, and there was a battle. Jake got badly injured, and Carlisle, the founder of the Cullens, came to La Push to treat him. He makes a lot of house calls to La Push, actually, since he knows about us, and how our bodies work. It's pretty cool, actually." We were passing through Forks now, and when we reached the outskirts of the town, I asked Quil if we were going to Port Angeles. He said we weren't, and to be patient because we were almost there. He turned on an unmarked road, and we followed that until we came to the biggest house I'd seen in this area. It was white, and there were windows everywhere. There was a huge, expansive lawn, and behind the house, a massive forest.

"Where are we?" I asked, my mouth open in shock.

"This," Quil said, smiling, "Is the Cullen's house." I turned and stared at him.

"We're at the Cullen's house?" He nodded, "Why?"

"Well, for one, they want to see you, and I also want to see Jake."

"They want to see me?" I asked.

"Yeah, they remember you from when you were young. Also, Nessie wants to see you again, since she only saw you for a few minutes last time." I nodded, and got out of the car. Quil came up to me, and grabbed my hand, sensing my nervousness. We walked up the front door, and Quil knocked. A tall, very handsome man opened the door; he was blonde and his eyes were a liquid gold.

"You must be Claire," he said, extending his hand, "I'm Carlisle." I shook his hand, and was amazed by how cold it was. He must have sensed my surprise, because he looked at me and smiled. He led us inside, and sitting on a group of couches in the living room were what I assumed to be the rest of the Cullens. They got up one by one and introduced themselves to me. I met Jasper and Alice, and Emmet and Rosalie. They told us that Edward, Bella, Jake, and Nessie were in the cottage, and waiting for us to arrive. We said goodbye to them, and walked out the back door.

"It's a far walk," Quil commented, "Do you want to climb on my back, and I can run?" I agreed, and Quil gave me a piggy back ride to the cottage. When we got there, Quil knocked on the door, and Renesmee answered it.

"Claire!" she exclaimed, letting us in. I walked into a beautifully decorated living room. Sitting on a couch were two vampires, who I assumed to be Edward and Bella. Jacob was sitting on an arm chair next to the couch, and got up to greet me.

"Hey, Claire," he said, hugging me. Renesmee walked up to him, and put her arm around his waist. He mimicked her, and oddly enough, Quil stepped behind me and put his arms around my waist.

"Glad to have her back?" Edward asked Quil, smiling. Quil nodded.

"You don't even know." I smiled, and looked at Bella.

"Did you decorate the house yourself?" I asked her.

"No," she answered, "Esme, Rosalie, and Alice renovated and decorated it for me, for my birthday."

"It's really beautiful," I told her.

"Here, follow me, I'll give you a tour," she said. She got off the couch and walked gracefully down the hallway. She open the first door, and I found myself looking at the biggest bed I'd ever seen in my life.

"Oh..my.." I said in awe. Bella just smiled. The room was white, and I was reminded of a beach, especially when I looked out the glass door in the back and saw a miniature pond and flower garden. Afterwards, Bella showed me Renesmee's room, which had a distinct Victorian theme. She brought me back to the living room, where everyone was lounging comfortably. Bella sat back down on the couch, and I sat on the floor in front of Quil. Everyone was reminiscing about the "old days" (AKA when I was three, Bella was still human, and Nessie wasn't even alive). Nessie and I made eye contact, and she smiled.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" she asked me. I nodded. I followed her out of the door, and we walked away from the house.

"So, how do you like it?" Nessie asked me.

"Being an imprint?" she nodded, "I'm not sure yet. I mean, I love Quil. But the whole imprint thing is weird."

"Tell me about it," she said, "Not only am I in your shoes, but I'm also half vampire, which goes against everything the wolves stand for.""But they still love you," I said.

"True. Can I ask you a personal question?"

"Of course," I told her.

"Have you and Quil been…intimate?" I laughed.

"Yes, we have," I answered. She squealed. I told her the story, and she started clapping when I was done.

"Oh, that's so cute!" she said.

"So, have you and Jake been intimate?" I asked her, wiggling my eyebrows. She blushed and rolled her eyes.

"No. Apparently he's waiting for me to be 'fully mature'. If you ask me, my parents are the reason why we haven't done anything yet. And believe me, I want to. But hey, at least we're now together. I know that my parents saw it coming, but I still thought that my dad was going to tear Jacob's throat out."

"Oh, I know how that is," I said, "Paul gave Quil a sex talk." Ness laughed.

"Are you serious?!" I nodded, "That's so hypocritical! Since they're like brothers!" I laughed. At that moment, I heard Jake's voice ring out, calling Nessie back to him. We turned around and headed back, linking arms and skipping. When we came into view, Quil and Jake laughed, and grabbed us respectively. I noticed Edward look at Nessie apprehensively, but as soon as I noticed him, his face changed and he seemed fine. _Weird, _I thought. But since it was none of my business, I let it go.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello! So, in case you can't tell, I've started writing again. I'm working on chapter 11 right now, which I've been having writer's block with, but I'm working on it. This chapter is fun, and the next one is too. Also, one of my reviewers pointed out that I made a typo about when Claire was taken from La Push. So here's a little timeline:**

**Quil imprinted on Claire when she was 2.  
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**She left when she was 4.  
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**She's back in La Push at age 17.  
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**If I've said things in this story that are different (and I know I have) ignore those. These are the right ages/times.  
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**Also, I re-read the story and found a bunch of typos. I'm sorry about them (I seriously hate typos) and if I ever have the time to go back and change them, I will.  
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**Okay, long author's note is over. Enjoy the chapter :)  
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"What did it feel like when you lost me?" I asked Quil. We were back at his house, laying on his bed. We had gotten back from the Cullen's awhile ago, and decided to hang out by ourselves for a few hours. We were going over to Kim and Jared's later that night for the monthly wolf party, which (usually) wasn't every month; there were at least two per month, considering the fact that the majority of the boys spent most of their time together.

"It was painful," Quil replied, grimacing. "I never realized exactly how strong the tie between imprints are."

"Quil, I know it's not my fault that I left," I said, looking at him, "But I want you to know that I'm extremely sorry that we left." He sat up, pulling me into his lap.

"Claire, do not apologize," he said sternly, "I don't blame anyone for taking you away. I have you now, and that's all that matters." I smiled and kissed him. The kiss heated up quickly, and before I knew it, I was straddling his lap and he was reaching for the hem of my shirt. My phone rang then, and I laughed.

"Of course," I said as I climbed off of his bed. Quil rolled his eyes and sat up, watching me grab my phone.

"Hello?" I said into the phone.

"GIRL! WHAT'S WITH THIS BULLSHIT WHERE YOU DON'T CALL ME ANYMORE?!" Reanne screamed. I held the phone away from my ear, wincing. I noticed Quil look at me questioningly.

"Reanne," I said exasperatedly, "I've been busy."

"OH MY GOD," she yelled, "YOU MET SOMEONE, DIDN'T YOU?!" I rolled my eyes.

"Reanne, shut up! I'll call you later."

"OH MY GOD YOU'RE WITH HIM NOW!"

"Reanne. I am hanging up the phone. I will call you later." I hung up the phone, and turned to Quil. "Yeah, that was my roommate from MP." He smiled.

"I figured," he said, "So when are you going there?"

"Tuesday or Wednesday," I said.

"Can I go with you?" he asked.

"Of course!" I said, "But you don't have to."

"I want to, babe," he said, getting off of the bed and hugging me, "I want to meet your roommate and friends, and see this place."

"You're too good for me, you know that?" I said to him, smiling. He just shook his head and kissed me. We were still kissing when I heard the front door open.

"YO, QUIL, WHERE YOU AT?!" Colin yelled. Quil groaned, and stepped away from me.

"In here, Colin," Quil answered. A second later, Colin threw the door open and saw us.

"Oh. Hey, Claire," Colin said, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"You are," Quil answered, "So what's up?"

"Oh, nothing, I just got really bored and wanted to hang out with someone." I laughed.

"Colin, don't you have a family?" I asked.

"Yeah, but I like you people more," he said.

"Did they teach you how to ask someone if you could come over before going to their house?" Quil asked.

"Dude, you've never made me call you first before!" Colin complained.

"Yeah, that was before Claire came back." Colin hung his head sheepishly.

"Oh. Sorry. I'll come back later," he said, and turned around.

"Colin, get your ass back here," I said, laughing. He looked at me questioningly, "It doesn't matter now." Quil laughed and hugged me, and Colin stood there awkwardly. My phone went off again, and I rolled my eyes.

"Hello?" I said into my phone.

"Hola Chiquita!" Jennifer said, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything!"

"You're not," I answered, "Colin already did that."

"That little shit," she said, laughing, "Anyways. I know that the party is in a couple of hours, but my mom told me that I should take you shopping. And then I told her that you didn't have any money and she gave me a bunch. So get your booty over here, we're going out." She hung up the phone then, leaving me without a choice.

"What was that about?" Quil asked.

"That was Jennifer," I answered, "Telling me that we're going shopping. So I guess I have to go."

"Do you want a ride?" he asked.

"If you don't mind," I answered.

"Claire. I don't mind. Trust me." He took me home, and kissed me goodbye at the door.

"I'll see you at the party," I said. He smiled.

"Yes, you will. Hey, I've been meaning to ask you; I had this idea. Since you have to go to MP to get your stuff, I thought I would take you, and then afterwards, we could go on a mini vacation. Maybe to the beach in California?"

"Quil, that sounds amazing, but we shouldn't. I don't want you to have to pay for all of that, and you have duties here."

"Oh, I probably should have told you. It doesn't matter what you say. The hotel room is booked, and Sam already gave me time off." I shook my head.

"Quil Atera, what am I going to do with you?" I asked him, smiling.

"I don't know," he said, "But I'm sure you'll figure something out. Now go shopping, and get something sexy." I blushed and he laughed. "Cutie." He then turned around and went back to his car, leaving me alone on the porch. I walked inside, and Jennifer came bounding down the stairs.

"Let's go!" she yelled, dragging me back outside. I just laughed and let her lead me to my car, and drove to Port Angeles. We had about four hours until the party, which gave us plenty of time to shop.

Two hours later, we left the store with our arms full of bags. I was a huge clearance rack junkie, so I made sure to get the most out of mine-I mean Rachel's-money. We stopped at a fast food place on the way home, getting two orders of fries to hold us over until the party. When we got back to the house, Jennifer and I ran upstairs to get ready. Rachel joined us and helped us pick out our outfits. Jennifer decided to wear thick grey leggings with a black sweater dress and black boots, while I chose dark skinny jeans, boots, and a thick knitted sweater. Rachel helped Jennifer curl her hair, and helped me with my makeup. While we were getting ready, I told Rachel and Jennifer about the road trip that Quil had planned. Rachel admitted that he had asked her and Paul's permission first, since they were technically my guardians. Jennifer squealed and started talking about bathing suits, tanning lotion, and flip flops, forgetting that it was the middle of January and it was too cold to swim.

"So who all is going to be there tonight?" I asked.

"Oh, the usual," Rachel replied, "Paul and I, Jennifer, you and Quil, Kim and Jared, Sam and Emily, Jake and Nessie, Brady, Collin, Embry. The wolves, their imprints, and the kids." I nodded. I was extremely happy to be in La Push. I finally felt like I belonged somewhere; for the majority of my youth, I'd been in prestigious schools with more material items than anyone could ever want. And yet, I'd never felt more complete than when I was in La Push, even though I had no money, clothes, or belongings. La Push was my home; in fact, I realized, anywhere that Quil was would probably feel like home to me**.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I am so sorry...it's been awhile. I've had this chapter going for awhile, and stuff keeps coming up. Especially during the first week of each month, updates will be almost nonexistent, since rent is due between the 1st and 5th. We got it this month, even though we're still having some issues. But we'll get it figured out. I've also started seeing someone :) which is fantastic. I've seriously never been this happy. **

**Anyways, now that I've bored you with my life. Enjoy this chapter, it was fun to write.  
**

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"Claire, let down your haaaaaiiirrr!"

Jennifer laughed, and ran to her window.

"Claire, there's someone here for you," she said, smiling. I went to the window, and Quil was standing there. I stuck my head out of the window.

"Quil, what are you doing?" I yelled down at him.

"Picking up my gorgeous girlfriend so that I can take her to a party." I smiled.

"Well, are you expecting me to climb down there, or can you come to the door like a normal person?"

"I don't know," he replied, "I mean, going to the door sounds like a good idea, but I really want to see you attempt to climb down the wall. I need another excuse to look at your butt!"

"QUIL!" Paul yelled from the window in his and Rachel's room, "I understand that you love her. But PLEASE refrain from telling the entire neighborhood about how amazing her butt is!"

"Paul!" Rachel yelled from the kitchen window, "Stop terrorizing them!" Jennifer came up next to me and stuck her head out of her window, too.

"Can we have all of our conversations like this?!" she said, laughing.

"Quil, I am closing the window now," Paul said sternly, "If I hear any more statements about Claire's butt, I am going to kick your ass." With that, Paul left. "Okay, I'm going, too," Rachel said, smiling, "But Quil. Come inside, please." When Rachel's window closed, I looked down at Quil.

"You happy? You got everyone in this house sticking their heads out of windows to yell at you. Get inside." Without another word, I turned around and walked downstairs, waiting for Quil to come to the door. When he knocked, I let him in. "Nice of you to join us at the DOOR, like normal people!" I exclaimed. Quil laughed and hugged me.

"You're so beautiful," he replied, resting his head on top of mine. I hummed.

"I love you," I said into his chest.

"I love you too," he said, "More than you will ever know." I heard a door open and close, and a few seconds later, Paul walked into the living room.

"Quil, Claire," he said curtly, "Thank you for censoring yourself and not yelling about your sex life outside of my house." I laughed, and Quil narrowed his eyes.

"Paul, may I remind you of when you and Rachel first got together?" Paul's eyes widened.

"No, no, that's okay," he stammered.

"No, I think that you need to hear this. Remember when you first had sex with her, and you came to us the next day saying 'I GOT IN HER PANTS!'? Because I was seriously emotionally scarred after that day."

"YOU SAID WHAT?!" Rachel yelled from the kitchen. Quil and I laughed, and Paul blushed.

"Quil, I am going to-"

"What are you going to do, Paul?" Quil taunted, "I think we're even now." With that, he took my hand and led me upstairs to Jennifer's room.

"What was that about?" Jennifer asked.

"Nothing," Quil replied, "But I'm pretty sure that you do not want to go downstairs right now. Don't ask. So are you guys ready to party?"

"Yeah, but this is going to be tame, isn't it?" I asked.

"Oh, you haven't been to one of our parties," Jennifer said, laughing.

"Since we're all somewhat mature, we're all allowed to drink. Which means that these parties are fun. And make for fantastic blackmail," Quil added, "So, do you two want to ride with me?"

"If that's okay with Paul and Rachel," I said, looking at Jennifer. She smiled.

"They'll probably be fine with it." We went downstairs to ask them, and they agreed to let us go with Quil. We got in his car and drove to Kim and Jared's with the windows down, blasting "Everybody Talks" and singing along at the top of our lungs. When we got to Kim and Jared's, a lot of people had already arrived, but it wasn't too crowded since only the wolf pack was invited. The guys were in the living room playing video games, and the women were in the kitchen, gossiping and cooking. When we were told that our help wasn't needed, the three of us went into the living room and joined the guys. Quil was immediately handed a controller, and Jennifer and I just sat and watched.

Paul and Rachel arrived around ten minutes later, followed by Jake and Nessie.

"CLAIRE!" Nessie squealed as she ran towards me.

"Nessie!" I replied, hugging her. She greeted Jennifer, and sat down with us while Jake and Paul joined the guys.

"FOOD'S READY!" Emily yelled from the kitchen. Everyone got up and walked into the kitchen, where Kim and Emily had set everything up buffet-style. We grabbed plates and walked down the line of food, choosing what we wanted. When my plate was full, I walked back into the living room with Jennifer and Nessie, and we sat down on the couch. When the guys were done getting their food (they let the girls go first) they joined us. Quil sat next to me and I looked at how much food was on his plate.

"Holy shit, Quil, have enough food on your plate?" I said, laughing.

"Hey, I'm eating for two," he replied, nudging me with his arm. I rolled my eyes and leaned my head on his shoulder. When we were done eating, Quil and I cuddled on the couch while everyone else talked about football. Sam and Jake disappeared for a few minutes, and when they came back, they had a box filled with different bottles.

"Okay, it's time for our annual drinking game!" Sam announced, setting the box down on a table and pulling out bottles. I looked at Quil questioningly.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Every time we throw a party, we play a drinking game. We never know what the game is going to entail, but basically everyone gets a bottle of alcohol, and when they're instructed to, they drink. It's a random tradition, but is usually pretty fun." I groaned.

"I don't want you to see me drunk," I told him.

"Claire, you don't have to drink," he replied, "But if you do, I promise I won't laugh at you." I smiled and leaned up to kiss him. He kissed me back, pulling me closer to him. I heard Paul cough, and we broke away from each other.

"Holy shit, Paul," Quil said, "When are you going to stop being so hypocritical?" I would have laughed, but Quil wasn't kidding. He was looking at Paul like he was going to kill him. Paul looked like he was about ready to tear Quil's throat out. The room had grown quiet, as if no one knew what to do. Sam stood up and motioned towards the door with his thumb.

"Quil, Paul, Jake, I think we should go outside for a minute," he said authoritatively. He walked out the door and the boys followed him. The rest of us sat there for a minute, not talking, just staring at the door. Finally, Kim broke the silence.

"Should we hand out the alcohol?" she asked us all. We nodded, and her and Emily started handing out bottles.

"So what's tonight's game?" Jennifer asked.

"Poker," Kim replied, smiling, "We all play, well except for me since I'm pregnant, and then whoever doesn't win the hand has to drink."

"So basically we're all going to get hammered," Rachel said, laughing.

"Pretty much," Kim agreed, "And if anyone wants to sit out, that's fine. Claire, Nessie, and Jennifer, if you want to play, you can. I know that underage drinking isn't cool, but we're all okay with it, so if you want to play, go ahead. Just play responsibly." I nodded.

"Well, I'm in," I said, smiling.

"Ditto," Jennifer replied, giving me a high five.

"I think I'll sit out," Nessie said, "I don't know if alcohol agrees with me, and I don't want my dad to kill me, or Jake."

"It's okay," I told her, "You can watch me make a complete idiot out of myself." She laughed.

"I'll make sure to take pictures," she said. The guys came back inside then, Paul and Quil looking considerably calmer. Kim filled them in on the game, and afterwards asked who all was playing. Everyone decided to play except for Jake, Nessie, Collin, Brady, and Kim. The rest of us gathered around the table with our bottles and a pile of poker chips.

Two hours later, I had learned that I was not good at playing poker.

"QUIL!" I shrieked, "I love you!" He laughed.

"Claire, I think you've had enough alcohol," he replied, grabbing the bottle of beer I had in my hand. I pouted and reached for the bottle.

"But Quiiiiiiil," I whined, "I'm having so much funnn!"

"I know, sweetie," he said, "But if you have any more, you're going to regret it. Now, where did Paul and Rachel go?" I shook my head, and Jake spoke up.

"They left awhile ago, with these mischievous looks on their faces. I wouldn't suggest going home." I looked around, assessing who was drunk, sober, or somewhere in between. Jake and Nessie were cuddling on the couch, still sober, Collin, Brady, Rachel, Paul, and Emily had gone home, and everyone else (except for Kim) was pretty drunk. Jennifer was laying on the ground next to me, playing with her phone.

"Hey, Claire and Jennifer?" Quil said, "I think I'm going to take you two to my house, since it's within walking distance." I nodded, and Jennifer burped. "Sam?" Quil asked loudly, "Can you help me out? I'm going to take them home, and I don't think that they can both walk." Sam nodded and came over to us. Quil picked me up, while Sam picked up Jennifer.

"H-h…hey!" Jennifer said, "W-w-what are you d-d-d…doing?"

"I'm taking you home," Sam answered, trying not to smile.

"I can w-walk," she retorted. Sam didn't reply, he just walked out the door.

"Bye, Claire!" Nessie yelled. I looked at her and waved goodbye. Quil walked out the door, following Sam. Quil was really warm, so I snuggled up against him, and closed my eyes. I heard Quil hum.

"Beautiful girl," he whispered in my ear. I smiled against his chest. When we got to Quil's house, he and Sam put Jennifer and I in his bed, and then went out into the living room to talk.

I fell asleep almost immediately, and woke up hours later, feeling like I had been hit by a truck. I got out of the bed, checking to make sure that Jennifer was still there, and wandered out into the living room.

"Hello, beautiful," Quil said from where he was sitting on the couch. I smiled and walked over to him, and he pulled me into his lap. "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit," I replied, "I feel like I got hit by a truck. I didn't do anything really embarrassing last night, did I?"

"No," he replied, smiling, "But you were really cute. You turn into a little kid when you're drunk." I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, I know," I said, "It's not the best thing in the world."

"It's cute, though," he said, and leaned in to kiss me. I leaned into him, kissing him back, when suddenly I heard a crash from the bedroom.

"Uggghhh…." Jennifer groaned. I laughed.

"Jen? You okay?" I asked. When she didn't respond, Quil and I walked into his room, to find her laying on the floor, glaring at the bed menacingly.

"I fell." She stated, not looking at us.

"Yeah, I figured," Quil replied, trying not to laugh, "Are you okay?"

"Your bed. Hurt me." She replied. I tried to hide my giggle when I realized that she was still drunk.

"Jen, honey, let me help you back into the bed," I said, lifting her up. She let me help her, and once she was back in the bed, she fell asleep. Quil and I walked back into the living room, and spent the next few hours cuddling and watching television. I was half asleep in his arms when he sat up abruptly.

"Shit," he said loudly.

"What?!" I said, alarmed. He had never cursed in front of me like that before.

"Sam just put out the distress call," he said, looking at me, panicked, "Which means that we're either under attack, in danger of attack, or something equally bad just happened. Okay, I'm going to get Jennifer out of bed, and take you and her to Emily's, alright?" I nodded. "Okay, come with me. I'm not leaving you alone."

Scared out of my mind, I followed him into his room, where he picked up Jennifer, briefly explaining what was going on, and then outside. Since he had walked there the night before, he had no car.

"Claire, I can't take the chance of one of you walking there unprotected," he began, "And I can only think of one thing. So please, please, PLEASE, don't freak out. But I'm going to phase, and I need you to climb on my back with Jennifer. Okay?" I nodded. He handed Jennifer to me, and phased. We climbed up on his back and he ran to Sam and Emily's house. When we got there, he howled and Emily ran out, looking panicked.

"Quil! You need to go!" She said, "I'll take care of Jennifer and Claire, just GO!" When Jennifer and I had climbed off of his back, Emily immediately grabbed us and pulled us towards the house. I looked back at Quil and started crying.

"Q-Quil," I sobbed, "Be safe. Please. I love you." With that, I ran inside with Jen and Emily. When we got inside and I turned around again, he was gone.

"Emily," I said to her, "What's going on?" She looked at me, half-panicked and half-concerned.

"Sweetheart, you should probably sit down," she said.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Wow...it's been awhile. I'm so sorry. Life has been insaaane. We opened Tubing at work, so I've been working 5 days a week. And school started last Tuesday, so I've been there for the other two days. Along with my boyfriend, I've been having trouble trying to find time to eat and sleep. **

**This chapter is short, but I'm going to start on the next one right now. And I hope you enjoy this chapter :)  
**

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"Claire," Emily began, "I really don't want to be the one to tell you this. But I know that there's no other choice. About thirty years ago, a group of vampires made their way into our land. How they did this, we don't know. We thought that they were humans that decided to live in La Push for the calm, serene lifestyle. A few months after they moved here, though, things started to happen. Children were having 'dreams' about creatures staring at them while they slept. Then, one morning, we woke up to the sound of panicked screaming. When the elders went to find what was wrong, they were told that several children had been taken during the night. About fifteen children went missing, and when the elders called on all of the La Push residents, they found that the newcomers were missing. Accusations started flying, and people became enraged. Quil's grandfather called everyone to order, and rounded up a group of people to search for the missing children. The boys that were wolves then went into the woods, trying to catch the scent of the strange people. One wolf, a boy named Brad, caught the scent in a patch of desolate wilderness. He alerted the other wolves and they came up with a plan. When they were able to get inside of the camp that the people had set up, they found all of the children tied up in an underground room. Their captors, who turned out to be vampires, were enraged when the wolves attacked. They launched a counterattack, and with the wolf's instincts, they were able to overpower the vampires." For the first time since she had started, Emily paused. Then, "None of the children were fatally harmed, but they were all scared beyond belief. Some of their parents never got over this incident, and many of the families moved away from the reservation. Claire, there are two important things in this story that effect us today. One, we believe that some of the descendants or friends of those vampires have returned; and those are who threaten us today. The other thing is-"

At that moment, a wolf howl pierced through the air. Emily and I immediately stood up and ran to the door. From across the yard, I saw Sam run towards the house. He and Emily embraced, and then she stepped back so that he could share the news with us.

"We were right," he began, "They are apart of the group of vampires that attacked the tribe many years ago. They haven't gotten to any of the civilians, but we're all around the border, fighting them off. I'm sorry that this is the only update I have for you."

"Don't apologize, sweetheart," Emily said, "But you need to go back. I love you." He kissed her, and ran off again.

"Emily," I said, "What was that you were going to say?" She nodded.

"Yes, I didn't forget. Claire, you know how your mom cannot stand La Push?" I nodded, "Well, she was one of the children that was kidnapped. She was older than most of the children, and they tortured her. She knew about the wolf gene, and they hit her and beat her constantly, trying to get information out of her. She refused to give any, and was brutally tortured. When the wolves got there, she was very close to losing consciousness. After that, she kept to herself and moved away from La Push when she was old enough. When she had you, I convinced her to drop you off here every once in awhile so that she could have some alone time. I told her that I had nothing to do with the wolves, and everything went fine until this one night. We were having one of our parties, and I had you with me. She decided to stop by without any warning, and when she got here, she saw you with Quil. She saw the look in his eyes, and saw all of the boys. She realized what was going on and left the next day, taking you with her." I stared at Emily in shock.

"That's why she doesn't like it here?" I asked in disbelief, "I mean, I can understand it. But why would she never tell me so?"

"People that have been through hell seldom like to relive it," Emily answered. I was about to reply when I heard it. My name, being screamed. By him. Without another thought, I tore out of the house, blindly trying to find him.

"QUIL!" I screamed, "WHERE ARE YOU?" I ran through the forest, screaming his name.

"CLAIRE!" I stopped, "CLAIRE! I'M OVER HERE!" I ran towards his voice, until I burst into a clearing. There, laying in the middle, was Quil. Surrounding him were six vampires, all looking at me like I was their next meal-which I probably was.

"Hello, sweetheart," one crooned. His bright red eyes pierced through mine, and he grinned devilishly. My eyes widened, and I stepped back, shaking my head.

"Don't be scared," another one said, "There is nothing to be scared of." I looked at Quil, who seemed as though he would either burst into tears or tear someone limb from limb.

"Q-Quil," I choked out. He looked at me, and I knew then that I was staring death straight in the face. Not from Quil, of course, but from the vampires surrounding him. Would we make it out of this alive?


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Long time, no update! I'm so sorry that this took so long. I got a new computer and lost the original Chapter 13. I'm not guaranteeing that this chapter is good, but I'm just happy to be writing again. And thank you to booklover2600 for her email that convinced me to write again.**

**ENjoy!**

"You must be Claire," an older male vampire crooned, "We have been waiting for you." I couldn't respond; I just shook my head.

"Claire Young…" he said, "I remember your mother. She was helpful to us…maybe you'll do her justice? She was a pretty girl too…" I'd had enough of this.

"P-p-please," I stuttered, "Don't hurt Quil. Take me; kill me. Whatever you want. But let him go." At this, Quil's face clouded over with anger. I knew he wouldn't like what I said, but I had to. I no longer cared about myself; only about the boy that was currently surrounded by vampires.

"Oh, but having him here is part of the fun," the vampire replied. He made a motion with his hand, and the vampires all turned towards Quil, stalking towards him. _No…No. Not Quil. Please, not Quil._ It wasn't until I saw the older vampire laughing that I realized that I had spoken out loud.

"What are you going to do, sweetie?" The vampire crooned. I tried to not throw up from his sarcastic sweetness. But he was right. _What am I going to do?_ Suddenly, I remembered the story of the third wife. How, in the time of need, she sacrificed herself. Since they rejected my first attempt, I knew what my choice was. As I was reaching for the knife in my pocket, I heard a feral growl from somewhere in the forest, followed by massive crashing noises. A second later, ten wolves came crashing through the trees.

"Well, look who came to play!" the vampire exclaimed, "Come on, puppy! Come here!" He patted his knees, mocking them. I realized that, even though the wolves were there, they still would not win over the vampires. I grabbed the pocket knife, and sliced my forearm slightly. The reaction was instantaneous; all of the vampires turned towards me, crouched and ready to attack. In that second, the wolves pounced on them.

The battle did not last long. With ten wolves and seven vampires, the wolves easily overpowered them. When I thought everyone was dead, I heard a sickening laugh.

"Quite a show," the older vampire said, as he jumped down from a tree above us, "Glad that I saw it coming when the idiot girl cut herself." I heard a ripping sound, followed by a growl. Quil jumped on the vampire from behind, and the other wolves helped him silence the menacing vampire. Sam and Quil phased, gathered the vampire parts, put them in a pile, and lit the pile on fire. Quil ran over to me and tied a piece of fabric from his shirt around my arm.

"Claire, Claire, Claire," he sighed, "What am I going to do with you?"

"Take me home?" I replied. He smiled.

"Home…" he pondered, "Home is a good idea." Since we were not far from Emily's, we walked there hand in hand. _Thank God he's alive. _

When we reached their house, Sam filled her in on what had happened. She cried and hugged him, then Quil and I.

"CLAIRE!" Jennifer yelled as she ran out of the house, followed by Rachel.

"Sweetie, come home with us, please," Rachel said. I could tell that she had been crying. I looked at Quil. "Can Quil come with us?" I asked. She nodded immediately.

"Of course, Claire, I meant both of you." I smiled weakly, and grabbed Quil's hand. He smiled down at me and walked me to Rachel's car. He and I climbed in the backseat and cuddled the entire way home. When we got back to the house, I immediately ran upstairs to the room and shut the door. When Quil opened the door and realized I was crying, he sprinted to the bed.

"Baby, Claire, Sweetie," he said softly, "Why are you crying?"

"We came so close today, Quil," I said, "Either one of us could have died today. I could have l-lost you.." I started sobbing, and he wrapped his arms around me.

"Yes, baby," he said, "But we're both still here. That is what matters. Please, baby, let me take care of you."

"What?" I asked, confused; why did he have to take care of me?

"Your arm," he reminded me. I had completely forgotten about my wound. I leaned forward so Quil could get up and go find something to wrap my arm with. He came back with a first aid kit, and applied Neosporin to my wound, topped that with a Band-Aid, and then wrapped it all in gauze. When he was done, he put the kit on the ground and pulled me back onto the bed so that we were laying down.

"I love you," I whispered.

"I love you, Claire. More than anything," Quil replied. I soon fell asleep, dreaming of red eyes and pointed teeth.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hey Hi Hello! I know, it's been forever. But I finally have some free time now. Between school, my new job, and my boyfriend, writing has been extremely difficult. Plus, I just interviewed for another job. I will try to write more, though. **

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter, sorry if it seems odd. I decided to read through the entire story again, to get the feel for writing.**

**Reviews would be great...let me know if you're still reading!**

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When I woke up the next morning, my phone was ringing. Quil was sleeping behind me, his arm wrapped around my waist. I reached around him and grabbed my phone off of the nightstand, and answered it.

"Hello?" I asked.

"May I speak to Claire Young?" A voice responded.

"Yes, this is she," I replied.

"Hello, Miss Young. This is Headmaster Jenner from Minetonga Prepatory School," _Oh shit..._ "I just wanted to call to inform you that you have missed two weeks of school, and your future at Minetonga is in danger. Do you have any plans to return to the school and continue your eduation?"

"Yes, Miss Jenner...I have been out of town for the past two weeks. Family emergencies, mixed with urgent matters that I need to attend to. But I believe that I will not be continuing my education at Minetonga. I will be by in a couple of days to pick up my belongings. Is there anything else that I need to handle?" By this time, Quil was awake and staring at me alarmingly.

"No, Miss Young. We will send you a copy of your transcript. All that we need is your books and for you to clean out your room. Are you sure that you will not return to Minetonga?"

"Yes, I am positive. I thoroughly enjoyed learning there, but there are matters here that I must attend to; matters that will be better handled if I am studying here."

"I understand, Miss Young. And, since it is Wednesday, can we expect you by Monday?" Quil nudged my arm.

"Tomorrow," he said silently. I nodded.

"Miss Jenner, if it is okay, I can be there tomorrow?"

"Oh! That is just fine, Claire. We will see you then."

"Alright. Thank you, and have a nice day."

"You, as well." When I hung up the phone, Quil hugged me.

"Claire, sweetie, you did not have to do that," he whispers.

"Quil, where ever you are, is where I want to be," I reply. He kisses my forehead, making me smile.

"That's sweet, baby girl," he says, "But I do not want you to throw your life away for me."

"Baby, I'm not throwing my life away," I said, "I'm giving it a new start." He smiled, and kissed me. The kiss started building up, until I was on top of him, grinding against him as I kissed him slowly.

"Claire," Quil groaned, "Not right now."

"Why not?" I complained.

"Because we're in Paul's house…if he walks in on us, I will not be around for our wedding day." _Whoa. _

"Wedding day?" I asked in surprise, climbing off of him.

"Well…I was hoping so," he replied, sounding unsure.

"Baby…we're too young," I said.

"Not now, of course!" Quil said in surprise, "I do not want to get married until you're at least 21." I sighed in relief.

"Baby, I want to marry you," I said, "I just don't think I'm ready yet."

"I understand, sweetie," Quil said, "But…would you be opposed to a promise ring?"

"No, baby, "I replied, smiling, "I think that a promise ring would be perfect."

"Then a promise ring it is," Quil replied, kissing my hand.

"So, are we leaving for Oregon tomorrow?" I asked him.

"I thought that we could leave tonight," he answered, "Then get your stuff tomorrow, and then head down to California."

"I forgot about California!" I exclaimed, "We're still going?"

"Of course, baby girl," Quil replied, "I just need to call and fix our reservation. But yes, we will still be going. As long as you still want to go."

"I want to go, baby. We need to get away." Quil nodded.

"I think so, too."

After I told Rachel and Jennifer that we were still going to California, Jennifer demanded that we go shopping. When I protested and told her that I had no money, Rachel raised her hand.

"Sweetie, I will give you money. You do need new clothes."

"Rachel. You've leant me so much money already," I protested, "And I'm going to Minetonga tomorrow to pick up my clothes. So I'll be fine."

"Claire, we spent over ten years wondering what the hell happened to you. I spent ten years watching Quil suffer. The least I can do is give you money so that you can please him," Rachel said. I blushed, and Quil laughed.

"Ugh, fine!" I said, exasperated, "Am I at least allowed to pay you back?"

"Nope!" Rachel said, smiling, "But you can do housework if you must." I laughed.

"It's the least I can do," I agreed.

"Well, it's settled," she said, "How about I go shopping with you and Jennifer?"

"Mom!" Jennifer yelled, horrified, "It's a girls day. Like, teen girls. No moms."

"Jenn, sweetie," Rachel said, "I don't like half of the stuff you bring home. And you'd be surprised about my taste in clothes." Jennifer shook her head.

"I think you should go with us," I said to Rachel. When Jennifer looked at me as if I was crazy, I explained, "She's giving me money, Jenn. I should at least let her help me pick out what I'm going to buy with her money."

"Thank you, Claire," Rachel said, "Plus, girls, me going means that there is no limit…" Jennifer's eyes got really wide, making Rachel and I laugh.

After that, Quil decided to go to his house and get everything figured out for California while we went shopping. After briefly getting ready, Jennifer, Rachel, and I headed out to Port Angeles. We spent a few hours going from store to store, buying tons of clothes. I swear, I spent 3 hours in the dressing room alone. By the time we left Port Angeles, Rachel had spent over $200 on me, and over $300 on Jennifer.

"Rachel, please let me pay you back," I begged for the umpteenth time.

"Claire, I swear, if you ask me one more time, I will throw you out of the car," Rachel warned.

"Fine," I sighed, "Thank you, though."

"Anytime, sweetie."

By the time we got home, it was dark. Jennifer and I ran upstairs to our room to look at our clothes. I had about 5 bags of clothes, and couldn't wait to show Quil everything I had bought. My phone buzzed, and I ran to get it.

"Hey sweetie…can't do anything tonight. Stuff to do with pack. Pick you up at 7 am. Xoxo. –Quil"

My smile turned into a frown. _A night without Quil?_ Especially after everything that had happened the day before, I didn't want to be away from him. In a way, the feeling shocked me. I once again had that feeling that we were moving too fast. It seemed to be a moot point to feel like that now, but still. How could someone who is only 17 feel this way?


End file.
